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I attended a reading by William Gibson for the paperback release of Pattern Recognition on February 5, 2004 at long-defunct San Francisco bookstore, A Clean Well-Lighted Place for Books, and it was supposed to have been recorded for public radio. I'd like to confirm whether or not it ever aired and if it did, if it's possible to obtain the audio. [more inside]
posted by Strutter Cane - United Planets Stilt Patrol at 11:23 PM PST - 2 comments

My spouse has volunteered to host and judge a photo contest for a canceled botanical festival this year. What’s the best way for him to collect and organize largeish photo files coming to him? [more inside]
posted by charmedimsure at 10:30 PM PST - 3 comments

My great aunt is in South Carolina without air conditioning and can't get help from Sears, with whom she has a warranty and protection agreement with. We are at our wits end and want to make sure she doesn't get a heat stroke. It's been almost 55 days. We also are many states away. Any advice is very appreciated. [more inside]
posted by socky bottoms at 5:51 PM PST - 26 comments

I am an idiot, and for various complicated reasons have not been able to file taxes for a few years (stupid glitch from years ago that I have been too lazy to iron out). I don't owe anything, except for probably penalties at this point (which I can pay unless they're huge). I've moved working this out up on my to-do list, but it is going to take a while and probably involve lawyers. Also at this point the whole issue is a huge albatross of anxiety for me.

When I get this sorted, will I be able to get my Trump money retroactively?
posted by anonymous at 5:42 PM PST - 6 comments

My partner became covid-unemployed (California) in March. Her work re-opened in June & she works just a few hours a week, and reports her income to the state appropriately each week. If she reports more than the basic state UI payment (@ $450) she gets nothing. But if she works less than that she gets both the difference from the state AND the Federal $600 supplement. Can anyone explain this? What's the best (most financially advantageous & legal) alternative? or is she just screwed?
posted by TDIpod at 5:26 PM PST - 10 comments

Are there any Universal Basic Income studies showing that UBI (the good kind not the regressive kind) promotes art, music, other economically “risky” activities?
posted by The Last Sockpuppet at 4:28 PM PST - 3 comments

Something like spinnerette, minaret. Minor official who abuses their power?
posted by leotrotsky at 3:58 PM PST - 2 comments

I am new to smoothies. I've been using a pre-mixed frozen smoothie mix (Wyman brand mix of kale, berries, and cherries), adding coconut milk or cow's milk, and I love it. But it is not reliably stocked at the store. [more inside]
posted by primate moon at 3:28 PM PST - 10 comments

I asked this question not long ago, but was unable to fully describe what was happening. Now, it's happening again so I've attached a YT video that better explains what is going on. I hope somebody can help me figure out how to fix it. Here is the link.
posted by CollectiveMind at 3:18 PM PST - 9 comments

I'm trying to show a summation for observations i to n, starting with i = 1, that is only applied when another variable (treatment) is equal to 0. What's the correct notation for that? [more inside]
posted by flipmodemedian at 3:00 PM PST - 8 comments

Been going on-and-off to 24 Hour Fitness for decades (mostly because I've been grandfathered into a very sweet deal on annual membership). However, with 24H going into Chapter 11, I'm wondering if they'll still be around by next year and, if not, if there are any decent non-expensive alternatives folks would recommend. (I mostly use the machines, sometimes the bikes, no free weights).
posted by gtrwolf at 2:14 PM PST - 7 comments

My pandemic project: improving my Spanish. Please recommend me some great Spanish-language TV that I can watch with the Spanish subtitles turned on. [more inside]
posted by cnidaria at 2:10 PM PST - 14 comments

Looking for recommendations for documentaries centered on the production of a single animated or live-action film, or closely following a single studio / filmmaker over a short period of time. [more inside]
posted by pilibeen at 1:44 PM PST - 13 comments

If I'm going to be homeschooling my kids I'd love to at least avoid messing them up. I know this body of research changes all the time, and it's a thorny topic for all sorts of reasons, and all kids are different, and we need to lower our expectations during this awful pandemic. But all that being said, there are people whose job it is to study how to teach children better. Are there any good places where I can learn what to do and what not to do, at least according to some reasonable consensus of experts? If nothing else it would be comforting for me. Thank you!
posted by malhouse at 1:40 PM PST - 6 comments

How do you get phone videos to be like old school home movies? I converted old 8mm film and old camcorder tapes into DVDs we can enjoy on TV or a computer. Once we started using phones to video things, we have lots of disconnected short videos on various phones. How are people converting/saving the files these days for watching them as if it was a continuous film? Hoping for an easy process and software recommendations.
posted by maxg94 at 1:36 PM PST - 6 comments

I live in a tiny studio apartment in the Bay Area and have wanted to move for ages, but can't really afford something else nearby. The pandemic has *really* made me want to move even more. What should I do? Details inside. [more inside]
posted by pinochiette at 1:33 PM PST - 11 comments

I have sheet music and music books from the 1920's to the 1970's. Would they be of use or value to someone? If yes, how do I find that someone? [more inside]
posted by shmurley at 1:16 PM PST - 9 comments

When I was a teen, I was *really really* into Enya. What music for you hits that same spot without being quite so sleepy? [more inside]
posted by castlebravo at 12:36 PM PST - 47 comments

The short of it is I was pulled into a project by my manager’s boss (boss boss) that manager is not involved in. Manager is expecting me to now report to them on everything I am doing for the project daily because I haven’t been able to work on manager’s projects that are not top priority. This seems like a political battle between manager and boss boss and an overstep, not to mention micromanagement, but I’m not sure what to do about it. Advice? [more inside]
posted by Young Kullervo at 12:32 PM PST - 15 comments

What is a good project that two kids can do together over the course of 5 days that does not involve much help form an adult? [more inside]
posted by keeo at 11:51 AM PST - 12 comments

I read the girl with the Dragon tattoo years ago, but now I have very little stomach for any sort of torture and 100% no ability to read anything where bad stuff happens to kids. I have no issues with gore as long it’s not torture related. Just looking for some escape this summer - does anything fit this criteria?
posted by gryphonlover at 11:05 AM PST - 9 comments

I am trying to find long term housing for a number of people displaced by a fire in their long-term squat building in NYC. There is a single parent & child and an older woman who fleed a domestic violence situation to stay with them that I am particularly concerned about, but there's a number of folks in their 20s & 30s too- young couples and single people. If anyone knows of any non-shelter organizations i could research or start contacting i would be utterly grateful.
posted by wowenthusiast at 9:55 AM PST - 6 comments

I had a great Beethoven Piano book growing up, it had to bought in the early 80s. I would love to find that one, but if not, just a complete book of Beethoven will be great but everything I find online seems to have just have pieces of his piano works or is otherwise edited for ease. Pbbt. I don't feel like this should be hard. [more inside]
posted by stormygrey at 9:52 AM PST - 10 comments

I'm trying to build the perfect portable workstation setup, so that I can more freely spend a day working from my partner's home or a week from my parents' kitchen. There one's component that I can't quite seem to find though... is there a USB-C dongle out there that will let connect both a USB-C PD power source and a USB-C monitor at the same time? [more inside]
posted by OMGTehAwsome at 9:41 AM PST - 5 comments

I have a set of knives that is 6 years old, won't hold an edge, and I've realized they are garbage. For my birthday, my mom will get me a set of knives, but I need to decide what set of knives. I'm happy to order from anywhere but we do have Cook's Warehouse locally and I do favor supporting them over ordering from Macy's or whatever. [more inside]
posted by Medieval Maven at 9:41 AM PST - 26 comments

The local election folks sent me instructions for requesting a mail-in ballot and I'm trying to decide whether to vote by mail or in person. [more inside]
posted by duoshao at 9:32 AM PST - 28 comments

Friends, does anyone know a Literary Agent and/or Book Publisher (ideally focused on "literary" writings, tho not necessary) I could run a question by briefly? Not to solicit anything; just to clarify something beyond my purview. [more inside]
posted by cotesdurhone at 9:30 AM PST - 8 comments

I'm making a concerted effort to Write The Damn Book. I've found a few writing prompts that have been helpful to jumpstart me on days I'm spinning my wheels on a blank page, but would like to collect more.
posted by frizzle at 9:27 AM PST - 6 comments

We have an active paper wasp nest tucked up under the railing of our deck. It's immediately next to my hammock spot. I'd like to continue reading in the hammock for hours without fear of being stung by wasps. Please advise! [more inside]
posted by dryad at 9:24 AM PST - 10 comments

We've been planning a large home remodel for 2-3 years now. Our design-build firm just informed us they could begin construction in October. Based on the financial state of the world right now, is it foolhardy to go ahead with construction right now? Should we hold off for a few more years? [more inside]
posted by splitpeasoup at 8:59 AM PST - 19 comments

I have been trying for so many hours and googled everywhere and couldn't figure it out. I have some text books that are over 200mb but OneNote won't let me insert it as a printout. My goal is to write and draw (annotate) my notes for class on the PDFs. I use windows/android so Notability is not an option, but I am open to other ideas, I already tried Joplin and I didn't like it. Is there a way I can upload PDFs larger than 200mb to OneNote? Is there another software that can?
posted by maxexam at 8:34 AM PST - 2 comments

I'm looking for lightweight denim fabric men's jeans which are comfortable for summer wear. I only have one pair of lightweight jeans that I love, but they have developed some small and nonstylish holes. I have a slim build, but I'm not as young as I used to be, so skinny jeans aren't my preference, but slim fit and tapered fit are OK. I'd prefer to be under $75, and at least 90% cotton.
posted by coberh at 8:28 AM PST - 4 comments

I'm trying to decide whether to put my third-grader in in-person school this fall part-time, or keep her at home for the school's fully-virtual option. Both are feasible for us logistically. How are MeFites thinking through this decision for their own families? What features should "safer school"* have? What epidemiological guideposts are you using to decide how much community spread is too much -- and at what level (county or state)? [more inside]
posted by eirias at 8:08 AM PST - 22 comments

As a loving gesture or in a moment of Covid panic I have been blessed with a huge sack (not a bag a commercial sized sack from Sams Club) of Pinto beans by a family member "just in case". I would love some recipes or ideas on things to do with them. I have a pretty well equipped kitchen and an instant pot & know how to cook basic beans in it, but what do I do with them after that? [more inside]
posted by wwax at 7:44 AM PST - 19 comments

How to do community building in a small community when people wanna see each other - but still be safe? [more inside]
posted by saucysault at 7:29 AM PST - 3 comments

I posted an ask about good gifts for a manga-obsessed 11-year-old last year and you guys recommended some art supplies she loved. I'm looking for more suggestions. [more inside]
posted by marfa, texas at 7:24 AM PST - 9 comments

What can I do with a very long empty wall if I can't afford new cabinets and a countertop? [more inside]
posted by FormerMermaid at 6:57 AM PST - 19 comments

Five years ago, you all gave me great advice on what to do with my finances as an early-career professional. So far, so good! Now what? [more inside]
posted by robot cat at 6:56 AM PST - 8 comments

We are traveling around the South Island of New Zealand and are looking for strange, unusual and obscure things to do (and support with our tourist dollars). Not "hike up Franz Josef Glacier" or "visit Quake City" or "tour the Pic's factory." More unusual hiking trails / attractions / just odd spots along the way. Anywhere on the South Island (or Stewart Island) is fair game, we are wide-ranging people!
posted by rednikki at 3:58 AM PST - 10 comments

A friend texted me asking about these. I’ve never used one so I’m asking y’all. Mostly I’m interested in hearing from people who’ve actually tried one of these services. My bias is against them, so feel free to try to convince me I’m wrong. I’ve already urged them to freeze their credit reports. When I searched MetaFilter for identity protection service the newest question I found was from 2016.
posted by kingless at 3:44 AM PST - 3 comments

My mother cut off all her siblings in her life because they would always quarrel and become jealous of each other - they grew up in a dysfunctional home. It has been almost seven years since she has stopped talking to them and I feel saddened still, as the family gatherings I go to are rare now and not the same. This is rather a sensitive topic in nature, which is why I wanted it anonymous. [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 2:18 AM PST - 10 comments

Moving soon from month-to-month sublet, within NYC. How exactly do I provide notice? [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 2:18 AM PST - 3 comments

What are the best websites for obtaining schedule and domain listings for concerts and musical streams: both monetized and free?
posted by DreamStar at 10:23 PM PST - 2 comments

What are your favorite reconstructions of architecture in the BCs? [more inside]
posted by xarnop at 7:37 PM PST - 12 comments

I need a new laptop. Normally I go to Best Buy and talk to someone, but I can't now. I am a total idiot who doesn't understand computer statistics. [more inside]
posted by jenfullmoon at 7:22 PM PST - 10 comments

I often struggle with what might be described as an irritating sense of nagging/driving impatience whenever I am doing something, and it’s impacting both my peace of mind and my ability to get things done. Advice? [more inside]
posted by orange swan at 5:54 PM PST - 10 comments

I think my dad could use an online support group for the recently widowed. The only one I know of doesn't seem exactly right for him. What else is out there? [more inside]
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 5:19 PM PST - 5 comments

I need an example of an action with the following properties: 1) Doing the thing regularly and consistently is better than never doing the thing; 2) doing the thing poorly or inconsistently is worse than never doing the thing. [more inside]
posted by Spathe Cadet at 4:20 PM PST - 28 comments

I have recently switched to non-alcoholic IPAs and find them very satisfying but no less expensive than beer. I have also discovered hop water and it hits a particular craving but none of my local stores carry it. I would like to continue this trend of drinking non-alcoholic, hoppy, bitter beverages - what else should I try? I don't want to drink sugar (or soda) or caffeine. It doesn't have to sparkle. Any suggestions?
posted by turtlefu at 4:09 PM PST - 24 comments

My fictional character wants to build a sailboat. What's the biggest/best boat he could make in about a year, assuming he's got carpentry skills and has about 30 hours a week to devote to it (and assuming everything goes well)? I'm picturing a boat that he could do some real ocean sailing in.
posted by swheatie at 3:45 PM PST - 14 comments

We bought some masks with vents in them. Now what? [more inside]
posted by pdb at 3:40 PM PST - 14 comments

Given Zoom’s multiple previous instances of bad behavior on MacOS, what's the current thinking on Zoom’s trustworthiness? I’ve been asked to participate in a meeting and am wondering if I should go to the trouble of creating a temporary Ubuntu virtual machine just for this purpose. To be clear, I’m not concerned about security for the meeting itself, I’m worried about installing a dodgy piece of software on my computer. The Zoom web portal appears to have limitations so I think I need to use the app. FaceTime isn't an option this time.
posted by theory at 2:25 PM PST - 10 comments

I used to really love to cook, but cooking for my family while everyone is home all the time is a PITA. Can I pay someone to help me? [more inside]
posted by fingersandtoes at 2:14 PM PST - 7 comments

Which type of indoor bike exerciser would you choose--a bike stand exerciser or under-desk pedal machine? [more inside]
posted by Elsie at 1:42 PM PST - 6 comments

I'm watching an upcoming free livestream of a folk music concert, and have a choice between YouTube, Facebook, and Twitch streams. Which should I choose? [more inside]
posted by wnissen at 1:11 PM PST - 4 comments

Taco Thursday! (Okay, I know it's Taco Tuesday, but can't resist some good ol' ground beef!) In April, I bought ~2lb (2.2 something to be exact?) ground beef from the grocery store, set to expire April 8ish. I think I initially refrigerated it, but pretty quickly froze it, kept it frozen, moved, had a short move (~15-20, no more than 30 minutes definitely) timeframe when the beef was outside the freezer in transit. Immediately re-froze for the next ~2 months. Left in the refrigerator 2 days to thaw fully. Cooked/browned, looks fine. Is it safe? [more inside]
posted by dubious_dude at 1:03 PM PST - 9 comments

People who sew: can you recommend a pair of left-handed pinking shears for fabric? I have looked online at craft stores (Michaels, Joann, etc.), Amazon, and eBay and it seems that a truly left-handed pair (correct blade position rather than just a compatible hand grip) is very hard to find. I am in the US. [more inside]
posted by cp311 at 12:55 PM PST - 8 comments

Oops, I upgraded to Catalina and iTunes is gone! I was never a big iTunes fan, but boy do I miss it. My favorite thing is running with my iPod Nano and listening to podcasts. Is there a way to drag and drop episodes onto my Nano without iTunes? It seems like I'm meant to use Finder and sync. Finder, really? And how do you sync when you subscribe to a ton of podcasts and there's not enough room on the Nano? Gah! [more inside]
posted by timnyc at 12:45 PM PST - 7 comments

We're looking to rent a car for 5-6 weeks in December - January to drive (possibly) across the USA and back, starting and finishing in NYC. What are our best / cheapest options? [more inside]
posted by tip120 at 12:14 PM PST - 17 comments

I’m moving cross country, and am looking to hear your tips and tricks for fitting as much as possible into my Nissan Sentra [more inside]
posted by nancynickerson at 11:48 AM PST - 24 comments

What factors should I consider in deciding whether to ask for an accommodation at work? I have been WFH since March. They now want me to come back in unless I have an accommodation through HR. Unbeknownst to them, I have cancer and could probably get one. It’s not an aggressive cancer and I’m not currently in treatment. It might not actually be an enhanced risk, but I bet my oncologist would give me the documentation I need. What are all the possible downsides of doing this?
posted by anonymous at 11:28 AM PST - 16 comments

So I need to talk to a doctor about some symptoms I've been having that have a wide range of possible explanations, from nothing to worry about to totally something to worry about. I'm not particularly concerned as the symptoms don't really line up with the worst case and they coincide with some lifestyle changes. My partner, on the other hand, is freaked out. She is especially concerned since we don't have life insurance and wants us to get that squared away before I talk to a doctor, because otherwise in the worst case scenario it might be difficult or expensive to get insurance. But if it turns out that I do find out terrible news a short time after receiving insurance, could the insurance be nullified anyway based on the timing? [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 11:28 AM PST - 6 comments

I'm looking for resources that I may have missed to help a friend with disability issues, specifically in Oregon. Details inside. [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 11:13 AM PST - 4 comments

How can I better negotiate rooms and duties with my wife who refuses to be explicit about how much she does or does not want or need something and instead communicates by expressing various levels of annoyance and stress while almost always "giving in?" [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 11:12 AM PST - 38 comments

I want to hang heavy blackout curtains inside a 48" window frame using a tension rod. But I only have 1" of surface area on the sides of the window frame to mount the rod on, and the rods with that small of a diameter seem to not be able to handle the weight. Can you help me find a tension rod that would work? [more inside]
posted by quiet coyote at 11:08 AM PST - 10 comments

Left a carton of eggs out at room temperature for about 11 hours overnight, in a room that was likely around 65-70 degrees.The nominal expiration date is tomorrow (though I am aware those aren't real.) As I am desperately avoiding grocery shopping due to the uncontained pandemic, it would be a huge blow to throw them away. Can they be eaten? This is in the United States.
posted by Hollywood Upstairs Medical College at 10:53 AM PST - 19 comments

More specifically, are there any insurance agencies that will cover the sentimental or personal value of property, if the value is articulated in advance on a special rider? If so, what are the names of those insurance companies, and how do you go about getting coverage? How do you set a reasonable coverage amount? [more inside]
posted by mortaddams at 10:42 AM PST - 5 comments

Today in the course of an unrelated medical visit (a consultation to start HRT for gender transition), I had my blood pressure measured. Every measurement was between 150 - 170/110+. The nurse was concerned and is going to write to my GP. I'm trying to get an appointment with my GP but they're not seeing anyone until at least next week, maybe Thursday. I have a monitor and measured my BP when I got home, where it's averaging out (over a few hours) at 150/105-110 with a pulse of 100+. I feel absolutely fine (besides this fun new anxiety) and have no other medical problems that I'm aware of and none of the symptoms that Dr. Google is telling me are the point where I should be calling an ambulance. Do I need to take action now or can this wait a little while? [more inside]
posted by fight or flight at 10:34 AM PST - 13 comments

Can you recommend a recipe for recreating the cheese sauce powder mix that comes with Kraft Mac & Cheese / Kraft Dinner? [more inside]
posted by chudmonkey at 10:18 AM PST - 10 comments

I have scads of digital comics purchased from various bundle-type sites. I am looking for an app that can help me organise them, and give me some cues as to what order in which they should be read. On Windows there's ComicRack (dormant?) and CDisplayEx. On the Mac, I've found YACReaderLibrary, but it doesn't seem to be very featureful, and requires a Comic Vine sign up, which isn't currently working. Is there something better? [more inside]
posted by sincarne at 9:14 AM PST - 14 comments

I am creating some technical training content for online viewing. I'm debating between having a talking head visible for some or all of the content and am interested in finding out if there's any studies that would indicate whether students learn better with or without it. [more inside]
posted by Candleman at 9:11 AM PST - 7 comments

I tried pressing some of my red poppies, but they have come out looking purple and ugly. I love poppies so much and really want to frame some, but not if they look like that. And they are only going to be in bloom for a few more days. Tips? [more inside]
posted by kitcat at 9:08 AM PST - 8 comments

My partner insists on closing our living room’s window blinds at night because he dislikes that “people can see in.” We live in a high-rise condo, the only other people who can possibly see us are occupants of an adjacent luxury condo. Is there something I’m missing, should I be as bothered as he is? [more inside]
posted by keep it under cover at 9:07 AM PST - 34 comments

I was just listening to Panic! At The Disco's song Dancing's Not a Crime, and this song is catchy as hell but the vibe is SO off (slut shaming, possessiveness, etc). But I can't stop listening to it. It got me wondering- what other songs are just total earworms but when you listen to the words are just the worst kind of energy? [more inside]
posted by emirenic at 7:53 AM PST - 93 comments

I'm having some major dry eye issues--it's been like this for more than a month. My work is all computer-based, and I'm starting to get scared. Please give me your recommendations (success stories would be great too)! [more inside]
posted by matkline at 1:16 AM PST - 24 comments

I’m feeling the need to waste my money on marginally impactful health supplements. Because I like to play guinea pig with myself. Because Covid boredness. Don’t come in here if you’re going to pooh-pooh my money wasting pass time for any reason. I need this. [more inside]
posted by St. Peepsburg at 12:11 AM PST - 45 comments

I discovered James Herriot in June and quickly inhaled all five books in the series (my understanding is that there's no more after the fifth one, though the American and British books are named and organized differently, which makes it confusing). Herriot has been the absolute perfect pandemic reading - his work has animals, is restful, set in simpler times but still pleasantly recognizable, and sweet, and funny ,and kind. What can I read next that ticks all or a majority of the same boxes? Otherwise I'm going back to the first book and rereading, heh. Thank you!
posted by Nieshka at 10:45 PM PST - 33 comments

I'm back with a follow-up question (after this) for my friend who has visual impairment. They need a way to scroll over things on their computer and have Windows read it aloud, something better than Narrator, which does not work and sucks. (Details after the cut.) [more inside]
posted by Ursula Hitler at 10:26 PM PST - 4 comments

My labrador's arthritis has suddenly gotten much worse. I'd love tips and ideas for how to help her get a little more comfortable. [more inside]
posted by potrzebie at 9:40 PM PST - 20 comments

I was wondering what people's experiences have been with moving (or attempting to move) from Windows to macOS as an everyday desktop computer driver (and not having to use macOS for some specific job). I don't know if this is clear, but I'm not interested in things like application differences (say, having to use Safari instead of Chrome, or something), but rather the logic of how macOS works and how you interact with it to do the things you want. As background, see below: [more inside]
posted by TheLinenLenin at 8:54 PM PST - 33 comments

What are your favorite marinated grilled chicken thigh recipes? [more inside]
posted by cozenedindigo at 4:32 PM PST - 24 comments

I'm considering moving to rural Nova Scotia. This is a long-term thing, maybe 2-3 years, but I want to get some perspective because I know literally no one from there. Do you live there? Are you from there? What are the pros/cons? [more inside]
posted by 100kb at 3:02 PM PST - 22 comments

Like these Chrome shorts ... but not these Chrome shorts. [more inside]
posted by sparkling at 2:26 PM PST - 17 comments

What are some bands and albums that feature, for lack of a better word, "arty" female vocals, a la Life Without Buildings, Suburban Lawns, Bjork/The Sugarcubes? [more inside]
posted by scarylarry at 2:12 PM PST - 55 comments

What practices/habits can I recommend to my office to build culture in a WFH situation? [more inside]
posted by bbqturtle at 1:59 PM PST - 13 comments

Have there been any COVID-19 superspreader events in which the source is known to have been wearing a (non-medical) mask? [more inside]
posted by heatherlogan at 1:50 PM PST - 10 comments

First time renter and noticed not long ago that when I washed the dishes with running water (I often washed them in small bursts to conserve), the floor got very wet, wetting the mat I kept there and I needed to mop things up. Then it got worse. I'm anxious about reporting this and need some tips on how to handle it all. [more inside]
posted by Fire at 1:43 PM PST - 15 comments

Apartment search if prioritizing covid safety – no shared HVAC, private entrance if possible, low enough in the building you can take stairs not elevator – what else? [more inside]
posted by kalapierson at 1:05 PM PST - 10 comments

I'm looking for novels that fall firmly into the category of literary fiction, but which contain some recognizable element from the sci-fi genre. A shining example of this is Kazuo Ishiguro, Never Let Me Go, about the emotional lives of clones. What are some others? [more inside]
posted by Beardman at 11:49 AM PST - 60 comments

We're still mostly in quarantine and I'm trying to find things for my 7 year old to do--have this idea for a "mystery" for him to solve and want some input! [more inside]
posted by Ideal Impulse at 11:26 AM PST - 8 comments

My therapist, who I see once every other week for 50 minutes, does not wear a mask. [more inside]
posted by intrepid_simpleton at 11:11 AM PST - 30 comments

I can find 1001 blog posts with the same working and learning from home tips over and over again. Yes, we should have a schedule, dedicated work spaces, communication guidelines, be flexible with our expectations, take turns being the parent on call, etc, etc, etc. But what are the clever hacks? What was surprisingly useful for you? What unconventional resources should we take advantage of? [more inside]
posted by ellenaim at 10:46 AM PST - 10 comments

What is Ed Sheeran holding in this photo?
posted by gt2 at 10:19 AM PST - 3 comments

In the video [NSFW-ish] for Janelle Monáe's PYNK, there's a shot at the beginning of someone eating a popsicle. You can briefly see part of a joke on the popsicle stick. What's the whole joke? [more inside]
posted by aubilenon at 9:56 AM PST - 5 comments

Hank and Dean were former street cats that we adopted 7 years ago from a shelter. As far as we've known them they are fast eaters and usually that means within an hour or two of feeding we step into a pile of undigested cat vomit. We've done a number of interventions to slow things down but I think it may be time to switch foods. I am looking for specific brand recommendations of dried food you use to successfully help alleviate this. [more inside]
posted by Karaage at 7:57 AM PST - 23 comments

Prior to the first quarantine, I really wish I would've purchased some adjustable dumbbells and a bicycle. At, you know, normal retail prices. What are the winter items that I wouldn't be thinking of purchasing in late July, but come late December I'll be thanking my past self for buying early?
posted by po822000 at 7:39 AM PST - 36 comments

I was fired from my job last month and am deep into the interview process of a potential employer. If the potential employer asks for references what should I tell them? [more inside]
posted by Tevin at 7:39 AM PST - 19 comments

How can I accommodate trick or treaters this year? [more inside]
posted by donut_princess at 7:15 AM PST - 18 comments

I bought a new refrigerator in April. It's very defective. The company that sold it to me says that they can have it repaired but not replaced. What now? Plus bonus food safety question. Details below. [more inside]
posted by FencingGal at 6:38 AM PST - 9 comments

Each day, I read Heather Cox Richardson’s Letters from an American for a précis of what’s going on in the US in context. Is there any similar daily email newsletter for global news in context?
posted by ocherdraco at 6:29 AM PST - 2 comments

A relative is in the hospital with bilateral pulmonary embolisms. Heart is fine and while there is more testing to be done, the doctors say that based on what they know so far the prognosis is good. But...so many questions. [more inside]
posted by Frowner at 6:11 AM PST - 4 comments

I'm been using a Garmin 405 or 410 for a very long time and I need to replace it because the band broke and replacements are unavailable. The battery life has also become short. I'd like to know which Garmin Sport Watches to get as a replacement. I'm also wondering if I should switch to a $200 Apple Watch 3. [more inside]
posted by someonesomewhere at 4:52 AM PST - 4 comments

I am trying to remember a book i read around the 90's. There was an earthquake in a big city and it was told from various people first person accounts over a few days/weeks. The one I remember mainly was a women who was abused by her rich husband being rescued by the chauffeur but I think going back to the rich guy in the end. [more inside]
posted by Lesium at 12:09 AM PST - 5 comments

What's a good habit that you introduced in your life and has since made all the difference? [more inside]
posted by pleasebekind at 11:03 PM PST - 37 comments

My dog recently had abdominal surgery (ate a purse) and is on prescription canned food for the next few weeks. The cans in one batch look suspicious. Is this norma and safe to eat? [more inside]
posted by moonlight on vermont at 10:21 PM PST - 5 comments

I'm watching this video and wondering how this video managed to have the blue-purple spacey background behind all of their Zoom boxes. [more inside]
posted by jenfullmoon at 6:59 PM PST - 3 comments

I went to Disney Paris a few years ago and got a plush Emile toy from the movie Ratatouille. I’d like another but won’t be going back in all likelihood. The toy is not on eBay, Amazon, or any other site that I can find online. Does anyone know of a service that helps people who want items from other locations? Alternatively, does anyone have any good suggestions? [more inside]
posted by DorothySmith at 6:50 PM PST - 8 comments

Which brands and types of Asian pantry ingredients are best for a home cook who does a small amount of non-fancy, not even necessarily authentic, Asian home cooking? [more inside]
posted by vunder at 6:22 PM PST - 32 comments

My church is making plans to resume in-person services, justifying this by saying that they are following CDC guidelines by requiring masks, taking temperatures at the door and asking people who have recently traveled or had a possible COVID exposure to stay away. How can I articulate an opposition to this in a way that's doesn't sound alarmist or rage-y? [more inside]
posted by mccxxiii at 5:53 PM PST - 23 comments

My wife and I are considering moving back to our native Colorado after a long period away. We're familiar with the general lay of the land, but it's been more than 25 years since we lived there (in Boulder) so I'm sure some things have changed dramatically. We're thinking of living in or around Denver and are wondering what neighborhoods we should be considering renting an apartment in. [more inside]
posted by Mothlight at 5:49 PM PST - 4 comments

We need to get two sister cats that get along very well spayed. But we heard that cats who used to be close can end up not caring for each other post-surgery - is that true? [more inside]
posted by RajahKing at 5:02 PM PST - 9 comments

About five years ago, I used a foundation on my face that I really liked. I stopped wearing makeup around four years ago. I've just decided to go back to some basic makeup, but I can't remember the brand of foundation or the name of the color. All I remember is the packaging. [more inside]
posted by tzikeh at 4:46 PM PST - 8 comments

I've got some development boards that use USB-C to connect to my development machine. Right now I have to manually unplug them and plug them back in all the time. I'd prefer to get a little extension bit that has a switch in it. Specs inside. [more inside]
posted by jeffamaphone at 4:23 PM PST - 6 comments

I would like to do more hiking/backpacking/camping, but I don't understand where to do this or how. What is a good guidebook or website so I don't spend weeks researching with no camping a the end? [more inside]
posted by latkes at 3:49 PM PST - 15 comments

I was recently promoted to our organization's Communications Manager role. I'm learning plenty of the ropes by taking over the tasks that were left behind by my predecessor, but I want to be a bit more proactive in educating myself. I'm looking for recently published/updated books or online resources that will give me a crash course in the field. [more inside]
posted by BuddhaInABucket at 3:16 PM PST - 4 comments

I'm looking for indie (or indie*ish) songs that feature sultry/breathy singing and have male singers. Most of the songs I've found that have the vibe that I'm seeking have female singers, but to give you a sense the examples include Phantogram's When I'm Small Sonic Youth's Bull in the Heather, and (on the more overtly sexy side) I Know What Boys Like by the Waitresses. Bonus points for non-hetero lyrics, extra bonus points for homoerotic lyrics.
posted by overglow at 3:03 PM PST - 31 comments

Life is rough these days. Staring at my cheese grater today, I realized there’s a secret smiley face above the slice hole and it brought me some joy. (Similar image here, though this one looks much more intentional—mine has very subtle eye dimples, such that it makes me think it’s an unintentional smile. What other objects have secret smiley faces and will bring the user a hidden squeal of joy and/or delight? [more inside]
posted by stillmoving at 2:22 PM PST - 16 comments

I'm cooking regularly for the first time in LITERALLY YEARS. I understand the importance of having the very basics on hand. What's the next level after basic? What should I keep in my fridge and pantry to enable me to cook slightly more interesting than basic food? [more inside]
posted by phunniemee at 1:54 PM PST - 42 comments

I need reading glasses, ideally small portable ones. I'm not going to go try them on in a store right now. And my nose is freakishly narrow. [more inside]
posted by medusa at 1:17 PM PST - 8 comments

I want a Windows 10 compatible application that will allow me to post pictures to tumblr with a single click. I will pay for the software, but I don't want an ongoing fee. A few more requirements below. [more inside]
posted by soelo at 1:07 PM PST - 0 comments

My mother is close to getting evicted. We live in NJ, Camden County specifically. She cannot find a new rental that will take her because she has a prior eviction on her record. Are there any programs that could help her? Or any tips on finding a rental that won't run a background check?
posted by jennypower at 12:23 PM PST - 4 comments

I think we can agree that any overgrown garden is a candidate for a Laputian Robot. The question is, how do I get one built? I assume I would approach a metal worker but what are they going to need from me? I've collected a few pictures but I don't know if that's adequate. I'm sure I could get quite a few frame grabs, and if necessary I can model the whole thing in 3D and provide detailed blueprints. What would an artisan want from me?
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 12:16 PM PST - 5 comments

I haven't had a social media presence since I stopped using FB cold turkey over six years ago. Some sad recent events have led to me feel like I should do more to be connected with my extended family, and Facebook is one of the best ways I've come up with to do that. How can I use Facebook for nice "Hey, congrats on making the varsity team, niece!" moments while minimizing the invasiveness and general icky feeling of the platform in general? [more inside]
posted by Chuck Barris at 12:09 PM PST - 19 comments

I'm a big fan of Garfunkel and Oates, and I especially love their interplay on 29/31 . I'd love to know if there are any other songs that have the same dynamic. [more inside]
posted by Mchelly at 11:56 AM PST - 3 comments

I met someone whose work I really admire and would like to reach out [more inside]
posted by winterportage at 11:35 AM PST - 2 comments

I just want them gone. [more inside]
posted by foxjacket at 11:20 AM PST - 10 comments

I'm looking for a text Farsi version of the following: The spring breeze blows sweetly upon the face of the rose, in the shade of the garden plot a darling's face is sweet; nothing thou canst say of yesterday that is past, is sweet, be happy and do not speak of yesterday, for to-day is sweet. [more inside]
posted by sciencegeek at 11:10 AM PST - 1 comment

I have a desk that I really adore, and the top of the desk is set up exactly how I want it, and doesn't lend itself well to one of the many sit-to-stand converters that lift from the top of the desktop. What I'm looking for - and have not yet been able to find - is a converter that would simply lift the desk...FROM THE FLOOR. Ideas?
posted by po822000 at 11:09 AM PST - 6 comments

My master gardener is unavailable so it's back to the have mind. Picture the pear tree leaves are covered with orange spots that look like rust. [more inside]
posted by ptm at 10:59 AM PST - 3 comments

Looking for ways to occupy myself that get me away from screens and that don’t require much money. [more inside]
posted by xenization at 8:55 AM PST - 33 comments

I am going to make Smitten Kitchen's blueberry muffins right now, and in the age of Covid I limit trips to the store. [more inside]
posted by nantucket at 8:28 AM PST - 4 comments

I currently have a turntable. I know what speakers I want for it. I also want to find a way to use Bluetooth on them and switch between the two easily. Help me build a parts list. [more inside]
posted by SpiffyRob at 8:09 AM PST - 16 comments

I'm a side sleeper who tends to stay put on my right side all night. I also need a really firm pillow. Over the years my right shoulder has been scrunching up to my ear in the night, partly to bulk up all my pillows and offer support, and partly because I sleep on my side and where else is it gonna go. But after 50 years of sleeping like that, my shoulder is starting to get messed up too. So - I'mma try to get a proper pillow. Help? [more inside]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:59 AM PST - 26 comments

Kentucky or West Virginia? Indianapolis, Cincinnati, or Louisville? We're probably going to be driving a moving truck from Chicago to North Carolina. I think we'll do it in three legs so we're relatively fresh when we arrive, and we'll store my car somewhere so we don't both have to drive for 12 hours, and we don't have to drive through the mountains towing a car. Where should we stop? Where should we store the car? [more inside]
posted by amtho at 7:26 AM PST - 8 comments

Is there somewhere online where I could read a bunch of other people's "bucket" lists or similar lists of fun or personally satisfying life goals? [more inside]
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 5:55 AM PST - 3 comments

Has to be proven to last longer than 1 year. Priced around 100 bucks with toner that's not going to be that expensive to replace. Catch is has to have a European plug and 220v. I'd like to veer away from HP and towards Brother, but open to your suggestions.
posted by watercarrier at 4:27 AM PST - 5 comments

I've started therapy and certain things about it are making me feel very angry/uncomfortable. I know that's not uncommon, but I wanted people's opinion on whether this is grounds for not doing it anymore. Specifically it's about my therapist's approach. [more inside]
posted by unicorn chaser at 4:01 AM PST - 28 comments

This question is a bit lengthy and obviously I don't want to give away what I'm doing but I'm at the point where I have a working POC of a product but am frankly running out of money and need an outside investor or something. I've met with several unsuccessfully, but I know the product is profitable and valuable. More on that within. [more inside]
posted by geoff. at 12:12 AM PST - 16 comments

I’m working for a company that has gone remote for the duration of the pandemic (and it sounds like possibly longer). Trying to decide what to actually do, seeing as we know we don’t need to be in our current city for at least a year. [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 11:46 PM PST - 7 comments

In this quote by E. H. Carr [ (1961). What is history?. Penguin UK] "The facts are available to the historian in documents, inscriptions and so on, like fish on the fish monger's slab. The historian collects them, takes them home, and cooks and serves them in whatever style appeals to him" How would you describe the phrase "the historian", assuming as I am that he is thinking about a generic historian or group, not an actual single one. In the same circumstances, I would write "facts are available to historians". See?
posted by b33j at 10:31 PM PST - 7 comments

I have a lot of weird issues going on right now, and I'm sure some of them are interconnected, but this one feels like a very specific thing that happens to me from time to time and I don't understand it. It involves vomiting up long trails of mucous over several hours that comes on and then goes away, and it is not fun while it is going on. (Gross but informative and hopefully diagnostic details inside.) [more inside]
posted by hippybear at 10:17 PM PST - 33 comments

Spouse Proust and I would like to switch carriers from Verizon to ATT, because of particularly poor Verizon coverage in a locale we frequently frequent. How Does this work? I gather we'll get new sims, and then... just magic, the numbers port the moment we put the new sims in? [more inside]
posted by Winnie the Proust at 8:20 PM PST - 13 comments

I used to download a lot of audio and video off the 'tube but now it seems someone will write a plugin and then it gets disabled, but seeing as I'm listening/watching the data must be able to be drawn down in other ways. Right now I'm listing to D E E P D U B and it'd be awesome to physically have it, along with several gigs of other fine sounds. I normally use chrome but happy to use another browser or tool for this task. I'm on win10 64 Home Edition and have pretty fast net - at the moment.
posted by unearthed at 7:13 PM PST - 20 comments

I have been an iPhone person for many years, after originally being a Samsung Galaxy owner. My last Galaxy had lots of glitches, and when I switched to iPhones, I found them to simply work much better. However, I'm fed up with Apple generally, and I'm thinking about returning to Android. Looking for any recommendations on best bang-for-your-buck smartphones available on Swappa or other resale platforms. [more inside]
posted by unid41 at 6:09 PM PST - 14 comments

Let's talk intersectionality! On a second date (doesn't bode well, I know) I got into a heated argument with my date that I think shook both of us up a little, and leaves me wondering how I can unpack this. Details inside. [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 5:23 PM PST - 21 comments

Right now, only T-Mobile and Sprint work in my neighborhood. I live in Los Angeles, so one would think AT&T and Verizon would work everywhere. They work in more places than T-Mobile and Sprint, which is why I'd love to switch. Is there any way to get said cell phone giants to cover my neighborhood (not just my house), or would it be a quixotic undertaking?
posted by Anonymousness at 5:01 PM PST - 7 comments

I don't here from a lot of males here with low iron, so I'm wondering if anyone can give me their experience/perspective on my issues. Females are of course welcome to comment as well :). [more inside]
posted by Atlantic at 3:21 PM PST - 12 comments

My wife and I recently bought a new 6,000 BTU window air conditioner (model LG LW6017R). It cools the room in the evening, but doesn't hold the temperature at night. [more inside]
posted by akk2014 at 2:58 PM PST - 10 comments

Sometimes when I'm listening to music in a noisy environment, my brain seems to hear it in the wrong key. What's going on? [more inside]
posted by Synesthesia at 2:03 PM PST - 16 comments

I am putting together a Google Site for an internal client and they have a lot of tables and many images of process maps/flowchats/org charts. I'd like for them to all be accessible, but am having trouble figuring out how to do it well. [more inside]
posted by Stoof at 2:01 PM PST - 4 comments

So I filed for bankruptcy last year, and it was finalized and discharged in early February. Right now the only account I have is with my credit union which is associated with my employer. I have a checking and savings account, with a debit card on the checking account. I am looking for an additional credit union or bank to open an account with, and a credit card so I can work on rebuilding my credit. [more inside]
posted by cats are weird at 1:06 PM PST - 6 comments

Is there a way to use external Bluetooth speakers for audio in Zoom, using the Android app? [more inside]
posted by epanalepsis at 12:51 PM PST - 3 comments

Who's the best preacher in the Church of Baseball? [more inside]
posted by headnsouth at 12:07 PM PST - 16 comments

I used to have a pair of Keen water sandals that were probably the Newport model. After a hike on a squishy rocky beach with completely inadequate shoes, I wanted to buy another pair like the ones I used to have. Many unhappy reviewers on Zappos complain that the manufacturing of Newports (or Newport H2) has changed and they no longer fit right. What sandal should I look for instead that has good arch support, can hike on rough terrain, and can handle walking in a stream and then back on land again without destroying your feet? [more inside]
posted by matildaben at 11:42 AM PST - 4 comments

Hello. I have a crusty ramshackle garage with an only marginally less crusty garage door opener. I am having problems with it. [more inside]
posted by phunniemee at 11:41 AM PST - 18 comments

I want to buy a replica of this machine from the movie Brazil. It worked like a coin flip, it would give you a “yes/no” answer. Any ideas where/if I could get one?
posted by mattholomew at 11:06 AM PST - 5 comments

My wife just got a shiny new MacBook Air. In her Zoom meeting this morning, she was using it with Sony WH/H900N bluetooth headphones. Her co-workers commented that she sounded like she was in a pool. She and I did some tests. Our findings after the jump. [more inside]
posted by adamrice at 10:41 AM PST - 9 comments

If you are good in stressful situations, especially if you are not naturally good but have improved, what is your mindset? What do you say to yourself? How to do you remain cool, calm and collected during the conversation? [more inside]
posted by Kitty_Levin at 10:24 AM PST - 21 comments

Is it considered ethical to contact a geologist who works for a government institute for the purpose of hiring them for private work? [more inside]
posted by aramaic at 10:07 AM PST - 6 comments

I'm planning to pursue a PhD at some point in the near-ish future, and am thinking about switching fields to improve my (academic and non-academic) job prospects. Maybe there are some mefites who could help me assess whether this is a good idea? [more inside]
posted by myitkyina at 9:42 AM PST - 9 comments

Reading about serial killer Joseph DeAngelo, I am curious how an ancestry site match is what pinpointed him as the killer. [more inside]
posted by nouvelle-personne at 9:04 AM PST - 8 comments

We are looking for one that can get in, under and around furniture easily. We have mainly hardwood floors. It's a 2,000 square foot home.
posted by Tziv at 7:44 AM PST - 10 comments

Title says it all - putting some upsetting details below the fold. [more inside]
posted by lazaruslong at 7:21 AM PST - 35 comments

The wi-fi in our home has been driving us crazy. We pay for a 150Mbps connection, but often get only 5-10 Mbps downstream. The upstream seems to be fine. When I plug directly into the cable modem (e.g. via ethernet), I get the promised speed. Does this mean I need a new router? [more inside]
posted by synecdoche at 7:07 AM PST - 22 comments

I've been tasked with finding what federal agencies of a certain size (relatively comparable to the Bureau of Indian Affairs) spend on their respective Office of Public Affairs (Series 1035). I've googled six ways to Sunday, and I'm going to keep doing so, but I'm hoping some of you good people will be able to help. Thanks!
posted by The Almighty Mommy Goddess at 2:58 AM PST - 5 comments

How do people transition from getting an undergrad degree in STEM or a non-humanities field like business into a masters/PhD program in humanities? Is that something people even do? [more inside]
posted by miltthetank at 9:14 PM PST - 12 comments

I’ve realized my swim top is old and I’d like to replace it. The problem is I basically want a sports bra cut with a cute pattern that fits me and they don’t seem to sell those very many places. Help me find those places? [more inside]
posted by azalea_chant at 9:10 PM PST - 15 comments

We have a steep bank in our back yard. I would like to call someone who knows about these things professionally and ask them to take a look at it and recommend whether stability or non-erosion measures need to be taken and what those measures should be. It's not collapsing but I'd like a professional opinion as to its status. What is the title of the person I am looking for? I'd think it requires more than a standard landscaper right? Some kind of engineer?
posted by Rufous-headed Towhee heehee at 5:00 PM PST - 7 comments

I'm in a very crappy living situation, I have no job and I'm about to turn 26. I think I need encouragement and a strategy to dig myself out of this. I've talked to my therapist about this a lot and I feels like she just validated my feelings and supports my goals. Which feels like it isn't enough. [more inside]
posted by starlybri at 4:28 PM PST - 22 comments

My sister has been primary "fall intervention" and general crisis response/informal nurse for our narcissistic mother the last few years. It's only fair that I take a turn. But I am absolutely dreading it. Our mother is trying to move into an assisted living facility. I need some anecdata about the role of adult children in this level of care. [more inside]
posted by crunchy potato at 3:26 PM PST - 20 comments

I need a bushy, low maintenance, attractive shrubbery in a place that gets little to no light. And it gets worse. [more inside]
posted by mygothlaundry at 3:00 PM PST - 14 comments

I'm looking to give a team of 10 employees a restaurant delivery gift card but hear one bad thing after another about UberEats, DoorDash, etc. Which of the options is the least evil? This would be for United States, Seattle and San Francisco area and I'm planning on doing something around $35-50 per person. [more inside]
posted by belau at 2:50 PM PST - 18 comments

Communication in a new relationship meets surprise long-distance meets a pandemic. [more inside]
posted by Amy93 at 2:47 PM PST - 22 comments

I'm looking for resources for improving my public speaking voice. Particularly in areas like intonation and articulation, not so much speech preparation. Can you recommend media (books, CDs) or coaching (online) that would be helpful? Any other advice would be welcome as well as to the best way to approach this.
posted by roaring beast at 1:51 PM PST - 7 comments

I've always been very afraid of people evaluating me and my work, and often experience anxiety when someone else gives feedback. It's not just a fear of failure, and reading positive feedback usually makes me feel worse than negative feedback. My primary career has been as a programmer and people evaluating my code has never bothered me, but I'm moving into more of an academic Psychology role and the concept of peer review terrifies me. Does anyone have advice from how they've dealt with or overcome this in their past? [more inside]
posted by JZig at 1:41 PM PST - 6 comments

We're getting ready to put up some stone veneer around our gas fireplace and looking for advice on how it should sit relative to the carpet. [more inside]
posted by skycrashesdown at 12:45 PM PST - 4 comments

I often don't use free time to work on a hobby that's important to me, believing that a few minutes here and there is nothing. But those minutes add up! I'd love to buy a physical clock or stopwatch where I can cumulatively track how much time I've spent on my hobby. Bonus points for: pretty with large digits [more visibility = more motivation], and the more hours it can track, the better. [more inside]
posted by estlin at 12:44 PM PST - 5 comments

Not going to the gym, of course, and with limited space at home, I am thinking about buying a folding exercise bicycle like this one.. Questions: [more inside]
posted by DMelanogaster at 10:27 AM PST - 7 comments

I have a damaged baking sheet. Whatever shall I do? [more inside]
posted by ubiquity at 9:46 AM PST - 33 comments

How do you raise your leadership profile? Looking for resources. [more inside]
posted by Chaussette and the Pussy Cats at 9:43 AM PST - 5 comments

I'm looking for suggestions for a quick to get started RPG experience for a possible group of 2-6 players. Caveats below the fold: [more inside]
posted by edbles at 9:30 AM PST - 20 comments

I'm an industrial engineering student. I am a very indecisive person with a lot of interests. Now I'm considering changing my departement but it's a big decision so I need advices. [more inside]
posted by confusedconfused at 9:01 AM PST - 8 comments

Our 9 month old dog, Stevie Nicks, is pretty well potty trained but if we give her an indoor bed to lay on she instantly pees in it. This kind of sucks. [more inside]
posted by dirtdirt at 8:01 AM PST - 6 comments

My husband and I are going on a road trip of over a month. Need recommendations for audiobooks and/or longform podcasts, especially nonfiction that reads like fiction. It's a broad category but we're thinking biographies, history, international intrigue, true crime, politics, pop culture, Hollywood—and wide open to more suggestions!
posted by lecorbeau at 7:39 AM PST - 30 comments

I love the look of this lamp, but not for $199. I'm crafty. How would you go about recreating the look of this iridescent lamp, for less?
posted by tiny frying pan at 7:31 AM PST - 12 comments

Sick of my smart phone. Can't decide if it is making me a better human or worse one. Considering a dumb phone but with a great or at least good camera. Does one exist? [more inside]
posted by luvmywife at 7:25 AM PST - 8 comments

As an anniversary gift for a dear couple, I’m attempting to replicate the choux à la crème that you’d find at Parisian patisseries such as Popelini and Odette. I’ve been fortunate to have had choux from both places, so naturally I thought I’d be qualified to handle this. While I think I’ve got the choux pastry part down (I’d gladly accept any recipes you’d recommend, however), I’m much less confident about the crème filling. [more inside]
posted by theory at 3:31 AM PST - 6 comments

I've seen this gif now a few times and I feel like I know where it's from but can't put my finger on it, so it's driving me a little nuts. The gif is a woman in a white shirt turning from the chalkboard and then smiling. I've included a link below but I'd love to figure out where this gif is from. [more inside]
posted by Carillon at 1:10 AM PST - 2 comments

I have a picture taken indoors. I'm going to change the background so it's outdoors. But of course the lighting colour looks all wrong. I've already tried colour match to the background, which looks terrible, even faded. I tried colour lookup, but there's no built in table for this. Can you explain how I change the lighting of an indoor fluorescent pic and make it look like it was lit by a sunny-ish outdoor day? I'm looking for instructions along the lines of "make the yellows more blue and then take the greens and make them less blue" (or whatever). Using photoshop.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 11:06 PM PST - 6 comments

So around 2-3 weeks, my girlfriend and I had a huge argument because I was talking on the phone with a female friend. She found out because she demanded to look at my texts with this friend. We made peace a couple days after but lately she's been bringing up again, saying that she asked everyone and they all said what I did was wrong. [more inside]
posted by Escanor at 10:49 PM PST - 33 comments

I’m doing some research on funding for homeschoolers and charter schools catering to them. I know that California has placed a hold on increased enrollment in online charter schools. I also know Florida received a federal waiver to increase charter school funding, but for very limited categories. Are there any states allowing charter schools to increase enrollment at the moment? It seems so unfair to all the parents choosing to homeschool their kids this year for very understandable reasons.
posted by likethenight at 10:31 PM PST - 2 comments

I recently asked for some pointy and sharp masks for dealing with customers. I got some from threadless under the assumption that the premium ones would have a nose wire. They don't. So not only are they fogging up the glasses- I have to readjust them every 2 seconds or I have dick nose. What the heck do I do now? [more inside]
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 8:10 PM PST - 28 comments

My young relative is getting married this fall. Young friends will show up, coronavirus or not. Older invitees will struggle with the decision. How to live-stream the wedding so that virtual and physical participants can see each other? For example: A big screen behind the officiant showing all the online attendees in their Zoom boxes, with a camera (also behind the officiant) so that online attendees can see the entire wedding including attendees. Should be doable, but how?
posted by mono blanco at 7:18 PM PST - 2 comments

I want to start dating again, but I'm not sure where or how to start. So I'm hoping to get some advice as I head back out into the dating world in what is certainly a weird time. [more inside]
posted by ralan at 4:16 PM PST - 15 comments

An east asian language is my mother tongue but I would like more practise translating it to and from English. Are there website that allow me to volunteer as a document translator?
posted by existentialwhale at 1:26 PM PST - 7 comments

Can anyone share recipes or menus for gastroparesis? A meeting with the dietician only produced generalities, and we're struggling to find specific ideas to plan the first few weeks/months. [more inside]
posted by wenestvedt at 11:27 AM PST - 3 comments

Tomorrow I am getting rid of my car. Today, I would like to park somewhere in the Portland Metro area and enjoy a snack and a book for a few hours. I don’t really want to get out of the car, though. Where can I park to enjoy a nice view and not feel weird about doing it? [more inside]
posted by the thorn bushes have roses at 10:10 AM PST - 7 comments

Please recommend SF books that are significantly Other. [more inside]
posted by signal at 9:56 AM PST - 27 comments

If you were going to be away from home, living in fully furnished places, for an extended period (6-12 months), what would you bring with you? [more inside]
posted by robot inside a grid at 9:41 AM PST - 46 comments

We're in the UK and we've recently moved to a new house. There's a satellite dish, which leads to twin satellite cables coming out of the skirting board in the living room. When I connect either one to my TV, I don't get the channels I expect to. Why not? [more inside]
posted by spielzebub at 9:26 AM PST - 7 comments

It will help me to hear how many different families have taken care of their aging parents. Tell me what you did with your parents. [more inside]
posted by Jenny'sCricket at 6:57 AM PST - 22 comments

I'm writing a short story set in Kent, UK in the late 60s/early 70s. The main character needs to acquire a series of dogs as a plot point. I have no knowledge of how this worked over here in the 60s/70s. Does anyone have sources they can point me to or relevant personal experiences? [more inside]
posted by terretu at 2:43 AM PST - 14 comments

How do I indicate that I want all the money I send for my student loan payments each month to apply only to the interest and not the principal balance? I see nowhere online to do this (and don't know how to indicate it if I mail a check, either). [more inside]
posted by CancerSucks at 12:52 AM PST - 12 comments

Have you ever lost your identity? How did you recover it or rediscover who you are? [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 12:44 AM PST - 11 comments

I may be getting the beginnings of this, based on consulting a battery of doctors in the last two months. Rheumatology person thinks the odds are good, and recommended Plaquenil or Minocyclin. More inside.. [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 12:44 AM PST - 6 comments

For people who are currently working from home and have a keyboard with customizable keys, what kind of macros have you set up to simplify your workflow? I've purchased a cheap external number pad keyboard and am planning to use Auto Hot Key to program some macros and am looking for some ideas.
posted by NoneOfTheAbove at 9:01 PM PST - 5 comments

The smells emitting from the area where my cat's litter box is have gone nuclear waste status bad. I have an inkling of what's happened. I do not know how to rectify the situation because spending more than a minute over there induces dry to wet heaving. Cat is mostly nonplussed thankfully. Please help me detoxify this part of my apartment. (cat tax in profile) [more inside]
posted by Kitchen Witch at 7:17 PM PST - 26 comments

My lender insists they need to see a PPA, but I don't believe I have one because own the system outright. Am I misunderstanding something? Or if I'm not, how can I get them to drop this ask? [more inside]
posted by Sublimity at 6:50 PM PST - 7 comments

I just bought a new granite mortar and pestle. All the instructions for how to season it that I can find (including the instructions that came with it) describe rinsing it with water then grinding uncooked rice 2-3 times until it finishes white, then a garlic clove then usually salt, pepper, and cumin. But I can't find out any information on why - what is the function of everything after the rice? [more inside]
posted by Greg_Ace at 6:16 PM PST - 9 comments

I have a friend who's perpetually very depressed and anxious, and she won't get help for various reasons. Though she's always supportive of me, her own negativity is draining, especially in light of a recent loss. Our exchanges have become draining to me (especially as I deal with chronic illness) but it's hard to keep things light. I don't know how to proceed in this friendship and hoped someone could relate and share. [more inside]
posted by mermaidcafe at 5:29 PM PST - 10 comments

Now that everything is Zoom, I want to make my laptop running macOS Catalina do these things:

1. Show someplace always-visible (ideally in the menubar) how much sound my microphone is picking up, as if it was a decibel meter.
2. Show someplace always-visible (ideally in the menubar) whether my microphone is muted.

Do tools exist that do this? Or how close can I get? [more inside]
posted by nebulawindphone at 5:21 PM PST - 8 comments

Help me figure out how to use Twitter advanced search to find all that sweet #content I missed out on while I was taking a break. [more inside]
posted by zeusianfog at 5:12 PM PST - 2 comments

I haven't seen anyone I know in over a week. I have several friends...all too busy or afraid to get together very often or even to call. Also, unemployed until October. I live in a rural area where it's very difficult to meet people...that "leave me alone" vibe is big out here. Where online can I possibly talk to people and try to make friends? Anyone who is in a situation like mine and has advice?
posted by DixieBaby at 4:23 PM PST - 9 comments

I really like so much about tabletop rpgs - the worldbuilding, the systems, the shared inventiveness - but the actual role-playing is really difficult! Help? [more inside]
posted by elephantsvanish at 4:20 PM PST - 7 comments

Looking for the names of still-working older (and younger generation, if any exist) 'old school' style literary agents who represent literary writers [more inside]
posted by cotesdurhone at 3:48 PM PST - 16 comments

Help me understand how my poison ivy might have spread. I had a mild case of poison ivy (or oak or sumac) with blisters on the back of both hands which then became a full blown rash across multiple parts of my body (thighs, abdomen, shoulder, arms and armpit) 6 days later. This second outbreak was bumps and red rash, no blisters. The first outbreak was only blisters. [more inside]
posted by daikon at 3:12 PM PST - 23 comments

I may be getting an interview for a high end job in my field, which is sales. This company says they would like to hear my thoughts on/familiarity level with "major sales theories." What books/methods/theories/gurus do you think they will have in mind? I want to spend the weekend cramming this info into my brain pan so I can be ready. [more inside]
posted by DirtyOldTown at 1:01 PM PST - 5 comments

I need to facilitate a conversation about some organizational changes with people who have a. been through a lot of change and b. are showing signs of status anxiety. I could use ideas about framing techniques, guided exercises, and anything else that can help frame discussions and work around our common problems instead of a scarcity-driven, protective, siloed mentality. [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 12:09 PM PST - 5 comments

I'm looking for non-US-based examples of regional or national laws, protocols, and policies (not including criminal/penal code) that affect sexual assault survivors in a given part of the world. [more inside]
posted by quiet coyote at 12:03 PM PST - 6 comments

Substack seems to be a very common platform these days for newsletters/blogs etc. I have questions about their privacy and advertising policies. [more inside]
posted by 2 cats in the yard at 11:16 AM PST - 2 comments

I live in a relatively small (6 floors/36 units) apartment building in Manhattan. Every so often the hot and cold water taps switch so that the cold water tap serves hot water and vice-versa. This may last for a few hours and then it goes back to normal (perhaps with a tepid period in-between). Any reason this might be happening in a building of this size? As far as I know the boiler was replaced approximately a dozen years ago.
posted by slkinsey at 10:55 AM PST - 6 comments

I have some co-workers whose work I direct in part, and they have been promoted. Normally I would take people out to lunch to celebrate, but that's not possible in the conventional sense right now. What should I do? [more inside]
posted by wnissen at 10:38 AM PST - 9 comments

In particular (almost said "specific"--accidental immunology humor?), what's happening with the accuracy of tests? In April, we were seeing antigen tests yielding up to 30% false negatives but almost no false positives. In May, that seemed to be flipped for antibody tests (lots of false negatives, almost no false positives), particularly the Quest Diagnostics test. But as July ends, what improvements have been made to these tests, if any? [more inside]
posted by yellowcandy at 10:37 AM PST - 6 comments

I have heard that some Trader Joe's products are available by other names at other stores. Is that true of Trader Joe's beefless ground beef? [more inside]
posted by roll truck roll at 10:30 AM PST - 11 comments

I think I'm a reasonably clear writer but people I work with don't always take my feedback into account, particularly when I email them. Can you provide any tips? I can provide an example of my communication if helpful. Thanks!
posted by ferret branca at 10:16 AM PST - 28 comments

I am transcribing audio, using VLC with a USB game controller to operate the audio, and Google Docs. I'd like to be able to start/ stop/ rewind the audio using the controller without having to click back into VLC after every time I've written something in Google Docs. Is this possible, or is there a better way to do this, or do I just need separate laptops?
posted by my log does not judge at 9:54 AM PST - 6 comments

I currently have 20+ pounds of russet potatoes. Please give me all your favorite potato recipes. I would especially like a really good potato salad recipe.
posted by toastyk at 9:47 AM PST - 42 comments

I'm in a summer sublease. I was told that I could potentially stay past the end of the sublease (end of August) if coronavirus conditions got worse. However, the main tenant is coming back, and despite her offering the other roommate's room if it was going to be left unoccupied, it was taken by someone else. Feel a bit like the rug was pulled under me. [more inside]
posted by dubious_dude at 9:19 AM PST - 9 comments

In order to comply with my country's social distancing rules, I'm looking for boardgames I can play while staying 2 meters (about 6 feet) away from the other person/team, preferably without touching any shared pieces. I'm happy to modify game rules a little to make this possible. I could see this working with Codenames or Bananagrams, for example. What other games would you suggest? [more inside]
posted by yankeefog at 9:08 AM PST - 16 comments

This week I watched a webinar with an unusual feature. Every speaker (there were three of four) introduced themselves the usual way: name, title, relevance to topic. Then they each described their visual appearance: hair, skin, clothing, and what could be seen in the Zoom window (desk, background, etc). "I have blond hair and am wearing a blue blazer," and so forth. It took each one perhaps 15 seconds to do this. Is this a new protocol for live video events? Is it aimed at users with visual disabilities? [more inside]
posted by doctornemo at 8:10 AM PST - 10 comments

If you were in therapy and ended it, due to a feeling of completeness or readiness to move on, how would you characterize your feelings of being done? In particular, was it that you felt like yourself again in the sense of going BACK to a core sense of self, or was it that you evolved FORWARD to a new understanding that you had not previously accessed? Or some third way?
posted by misoramen at 7:41 AM PST - 11 comments

Over the years I have used this SciFit arm cycle machine at various physical therapy clinics and have found it to be ideal for toning my arms without setting off my persnickety shoulders. The bike component fine but it's the arm part I'm after. Is there an affordable (<$2K) home equivalent?
posted by HotToddy at 7:39 AM PST - 2 comments

What are your ideas for meals that both Feel fresh and healthy to make and eat, and are also calorically efficient (Makes us full, gives us energy) [more inside]
posted by bbqturtle at 6:23 AM PST - 34 comments

I hate humidity. I hate heat. It's been relentless for what feels like four weeks straight. I don't want to do anything. Everything seems on hold between the weather and the pandemic. Need help with practical solutions and perhaps a rosy way or two to reframe the whole deal. [more inside]
posted by A Terrible Llama at 5:51 AM PST - 36 comments

Maybe 4-6 months ago someone left a comment on the blue that linked to a really interesting discussion about the historical practice of Roman religion. It discussed, among other things, the separation between personal or local gods, and the state gods which required larger state sacrifices. The website has a dark red background. I'd love to find it again but it's long gone from my internet history.
posted by Naib at 5:10 AM PST - 1 comment

What is the cheapest way to get a wired internet connection to my iPhone? [more inside]
posted by NoneOfTheAbove at 2:09 AM PST - 11 comments

Architecture folks: you take a barrel vault, and put a quarter-sphere dome at each end's arch. Or you take a hemispherical dome, slice it vertically, spread the halves apart horizontally, and connect / fill the gap with a barrel vault. What's this shape called?
posted by bartleby at 1:32 AM PST - 5 comments

I completely understand the general idea that you aren't responsible for someone else's feelings. But what about in an emotionally abusive intimate relationship, where the anger is a natural and righteous response to gas-lighting? More inside. [more inside]
posted by miaow at 11:18 PM PST - 28 comments

I am unlikely to ever build a house, but like fiddling around with floor plans and imagining the process. I'd like some software to do help me fiddle, but I'm looking for a particular type of program. If you have direct experience of software to accomplish this, I'd like to hear how you got along with it. [more inside]
posted by maxwelton at 10:49 PM PST - 4 comments

I am partnered, and scheduled for IUI with donor sperm next week. My partner can’t attend the clinic with me because of COVID. Snowflakes inside. [more inside]
posted by unstrungharp at 9:27 PM PST - 9 comments

I'm looking for the Star Trek episodes that are the most stereotypically "Star Trek", across any of the series. Not the best episodes, although hopefully not actively bad, but the ones that are the most Star Trek. [more inside]
posted by vogon_poet at 8:35 PM PST - 26 comments

I'm working on a document with a lot of large figures. I want these images and their captions to be automatically reasonably placed within the document. The solution is not to use LaTeX; I have to use Word, so please don't suggest the thing I'd like to do but can't. [more inside]
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 8:12 PM PST - 9 comments

I’ve been on the phone with my insurer and healthcare provider today trying to get to the bottom of a murky bill for a medical procedure and hit a wall when the last insurance customer service rep I spoke to claimed she couldn’t discuss what was billed because of HIPAA. [more inside]
posted by the thorn bushes have roses at 5:59 PM PST - 6 comments

I drink water frequently. So far I haven't needed to wear a mask for extended periods, but that will change, sooner or later. How can I maintain the integrity of a mask while also being able to drink water? [more inside]
posted by nat at 4:14 PM PST - 18 comments

I'm looking for the source of a quote that refers to "a unity vaguely comprehended." Someone mentioned that the source might be Joseph Keppler but that's not for sure. Any help?
posted by captainscared at 3:40 PM PST - 2 comments

Help me brainstorm fun clues to hidden treasure. [more inside]
posted by komara at 2:49 PM PST - 4 comments

Is there a microwave on the market with a door that closes quietly or at least quieter than the average microwave?
posted by massofintuition at 2:08 PM PST - 6 comments

I enjoy and want to expand my experience in both DIY electronics and woodworking. Is it feasible to create a single bench (limited available basement area probably precludes two) that would be usable for both activities? If so, what might it look like?
posted by Inkoate at 1:44 PM PST - 6 comments

I need to produce some videos where I will be writing in OneNote while talking. Please help me understand my options! [more inside]
posted by eviemath at 1:01 PM PST - 10 comments

I have a 2013 Honda Fit. The TPMS light came on in early March and has been on ever since. (Note that this is *not* the tire pressure light, but the TPMS light itself.) This happened right after I isolated/quarantined/distanced myself, and bc I’m at high risk for Covid, I would greatly prefer to avoid taking the car in unless this could indicate a serious problem. [more inside]
posted by DestinationUnknown at 12:55 PM PST - 15 comments

Contribute your favorite sentences to help me with my letterpress project. [more inside]
posted by Joan Rivers of Babylon at 12:27 PM PST - 99 comments

I bought a cheap white plastic birdbath. I am painting the column with spray paint and acrylics. The bowl part is blindingly white and I want to paint it too, but I don’t want to use anything that might harm the birds. Suggestions? [more inside]
posted by mygothlaundry at 12:08 PM PST - 4 comments

Mum had breast cancer surgery and keeps sending my sister and I pictures of her wounds with no warning. Any nice ways to ask her to stop? [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 11:32 AM PST - 14 comments

Our state has just opened up for outdoor restaurant dining. Because of the recent rainstorm, some restaurants have now added tented "roofs" above the tables (I've seen this at outdoor weddings and events as well). Putting aside the possibility that outdoor dining may not be safe after all, is eating under a roof / tent / overhang just as safe as eating outdoors because the sides are open for ventilation, or is it basically creating a room with giant open windows where aerosolized particles can now gather? Would love any science-based answers, if this exists.
posted by Mchelly at 10:33 AM PST - 6 comments

Hi, AskMe. I come with a geeky gaming and possibly AI-related question this morning. Is it possible to use machine learning to help me navigate inaccessible game menus? [more inside]
posted by Alensin at 10:18 AM PST - 7 comments

I just learned that it's apparently possible to play the game City of Heroes once more. How do I go about doing this? In case it matters, I'm on a Mac. Thanks!
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 10:07 AM PST - 1 comment

I'm trying to track down a Canadian sketch comedy song/video that I believe aired in the late 90's - early 2000's. The "punch line" of the joke was that the troupe of (English) musicians had made a French song but the lyrics were words they had learned from product packaging (eg. flacons de mais, jus de pomme). I believe the troupe was from out West if that's any help. [more inside]
posted by Hutch at 10:02 AM PST - 12 comments

Posting for a friend -- Following this tutorial I cut off the end of a wine bottle for use as a bottleneck guitar slide. Everything went fine except the slide has a crack on the top. The crack is internal; it can’t be felt by touching either the inside or outside of the slide. How threatening is this crack to the longterm integrity of the glass? Could the slide explode on me at some point, possibly while I’m playing guitar? [more inside]
posted by matcha action at 8:12 AM PST - 11 comments

Looking for short stories about the conflict between people in survival bunkers and those trying to get inside during an apocalypse.
posted by storybored at 8:01 AM PST - 7 comments

I'm looking for recommendations for Asian American books that are not Asian American literature or history textbooks. [more inside]
posted by cursed at 7:48 AM PST - 29 comments

I asked a question about going to the dentist a month ago, but I'm hoping a follow-up is okay since this is after all the novel coronavirus. I have a dentist's appointment, my symptoms have mostly abated and I'm wondering whether I should still go plus whether people have been having good or bad experiences at the dentist. [more inside]
posted by Frowner at 7:26 AM PST - 26 comments

I'm part of a small community organization that has started using paypal for donations.. Paypal has blocked further donations until we submit a taxpayer Identification number (TIN). We don't have a TIN, we have an employer identification number (EIN). Paypal won't accept this. Posted this in the paypal community and got no responses. What to do? [more inside]
posted by Xurando at 5:49 AM PST - 7 comments

I have a lot of friends who need emotional support. Part of me thinks, this is what you sign up to when you become somebody's friend; and part of me thinks I should be looking to myself and my own emotional well-being more. How do you make the call as to which is more important? If you do decide you can't be there for someone, how do you tell them that? [more inside]
posted by unicorn chaser at 5:37 AM PST - 22 comments

I'm trying to pinpoint the names of some NY neighbourhoods for a project, but as a non-local I'm finding it super hard. Can you give me the real deal (non-broker) take? A) Decatur St — this one Google tells me is Flushing on the south side of the road, Ridgewood on the north side, but Brooklyn/Bushwick on Irving Ave? B) Division Place — Greenpoint, East Williamsburg or ?? All thoughts appreciated!
posted by teststrip at 3:37 AM PST - 15 comments

I have just begun using an iPad Pro (OS 13) to annotate PDF files with an Apple pencil. Because I am right-handed, I find that my fingers keep touching the thumbnail sidebar and causing the page to change, which is really annoying. Is there any way to move the thumbnail sidebar to the left, or to hide it completely?
posted by mydonkeybenjamin at 1:43 AM PST - 9 comments

An ongoing difficulty in my relationship with my spouse is that he tends to respond to being upset and hurt by instantly becoming angry towards the other person, namely me. I find this very distressing. Although I try to remain calm and grounded when I am hurt and upset, there are inevitably times when this is difficult and I express this in what I think is a fairly typical way, i.e. crying or having sad body language/facial expressions. [more inside]
posted by rrose selavy at 1:11 AM PST - 28 comments

I have applied to be on the board for my city's public housing, in the Southwest United States. Do you know of any resources that might help me in this role?
posted by NotLost at 10:34 PM PST - 4 comments

I missed the extended deadline. Since the age of 16, I have always filed on time. Could be the isolation (I have left the apartment 3x since early March), could be age, could be that my computer is in pieces on a shelf. Whatever. Will you help me find that free gov't or other website to make this semi-right? [more inside]
posted by alwayson_slightlyoff at 10:17 PM PST - 10 comments

I have a love/hate relationship with my beater car, and lately it's been occupying wayyyy too much of my attention. I think I need to either reframe my relationship with it or get rid of it completely, so I can focus on more important things. Any ideas on how I can let go and stop caring about this sweet car so much? [more inside]
posted by mannermode at 8:37 PM PST - 16 comments

Looking for recommendations for hair dyes in non-natural colors for dark blond/light brown hair. [more inside]
posted by skycrashesdown at 8:31 PM PST - 16 comments

I'm trying to make a small model of this tent. The entire thing will be very small, less than an inch and a half wide. I can't figure out a good way to do it. [more inside]
posted by bondcliff at 6:59 PM PST - 31 comments

My mom is a fairly adept and experienced OS X user and she would like to teach herself some more advanced home/office user skills, and I am seeking book or online resource recommendations on her behalf. [more inside]
posted by loquacious at 6:27 PM PST - 5 comments

I'm leaning towards buying a new (to me) car before the year is over, but I've never purchased a car before and I'm getting pretty anxious about the thought of it. Not so much the actual car part, but dealing with a dealership, sales people, and negotiating, ugh, how do I do this and stay sane? [more inside]
posted by VirginiaPlain at 5:49 PM PST - 20 comments

Deep sigh. I have spent the day trying to stretch my understanding of how to download and compile source code and then compile the appropriate MEX file, and I've decided I'm out of my depth because I don't actually know how C works. Please walk me through what I need to do to actually get this working on Windows! (gory details inside) [more inside]
posted by dismas at 4:34 PM PST - 3 comments

I saw this sign on an apartment building that has been empty for about ten years, following a fire. What is it?
posted by roosterboy at 3:32 PM PST - 6 comments

TL:DR: Is it possible to get a human being at Tumblr to help someone?? [more inside]
posted by carmenghia at 3:08 PM PST - 3 comments

One iPhoneX One Galaxy S10 Two people trying to send images via text. NOTHING WORKS. [more inside]
posted by Medieval Maven at 1:57 PM PST - 6 comments

Our three-season porch gets a lot of sun and has two hooks for hanging plants. They need to be non-toxic to cats (cats have taken bites of all of our previous plants, including cacti) and I would like them to dangle somewhat. We are in Zone 6b so this porch does get cold in winter, but we could move them to another room at that point. What are my options?
posted by chaiminda at 1:40 PM PST - 7 comments

I recently installed Ubuntu Studio 20.04 on a Dell computer. I need to hire a Linux Desktop consultant to configure the sound. It doesn't work at all. Is it possible to hire someone remotely to do this? [more inside]
posted by falsedmitri at 1:21 PM PST - 11 comments

Our Canadian province has revealed that kids are going back to full-time, in-classroom school in the fall. Details are scarce but it seems there will be no small cohorting. Masks will not be mandatory. Meanwhile our local cases are on the rise again. What are the things I can do so that my ultimate nightmare does not come true - that the two kids and two adults in the house get COVID all at the same time? My child will be a 5th grader. In a class of probably 28. We also have a toddler. [more inside]
posted by kitcat at 12:31 PM PST - 13 comments

Calling all parents and educators! Where are the good online classes and resources to get kids engaged and interacting with each other? My kids (4 and 5) are going feral at home and I feel like I'm failing at their education. Help. [more inside]
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 12:28 PM PST - 7 comments

I'm head of a small organization that's being sued by a former senior staff member. I've only just managed to open the (massive) archive of their e-mails as part of the disclosure process and I've already found numerous abusive and defamatory comments about me and others. It's going to be tough to read once the righteous anger wears off and so I'm looking for tips and suggestions on how to take care of my mental health during the process. [more inside]
posted by rpfields at 12:27 PM PST - 7 comments

I need to return something I bought on ebay that has "free returns" (i.e. seller pays for return shipping.) This is done by printing out a label on ebay that says "First-Class Package Return Service" and does not list a weight. For reasons beyond the scope of this question, I am worried the package I am sending back might be heavier than expected (on the order of 10oz insted of 6oz.) Will it be OK? How does the weight limit on this service work?
posted by needs more cowbell at 11:56 AM PST - 8 comments

Until the end of February, I had a hour-long commute each way. That much time in the car meant I listened to a lot of podcasts. Now my commute is more like 1.2 seconds, making podcast listening more difficult. I've turned to Youtube videos instead, and this is a request for recommendations. [more inside]
posted by kevinbelt at 11:49 AM PST - 8 comments

I need a better storage method than I have right now for extending the eatability of potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions and garlic. [more inside]
posted by atomicstone at 11:46 AM PST - 13 comments

I love the exploring-shooting-acquiring loop of Borderlands 2. My ideal way to waste an hour of time is to come into a new setting with a new weapon, figure out how to fight my way through, and get some new gear and upgrades. I also love expansive landscapes and exploration. I just can't get Borderlands 3 because the obnoxious "naughty" humor just hurts my head in advance. [more inside]
posted by argybarg at 11:44 AM PST - 22 comments

Left-handed people: what do you use to mount your cell phone in your car? [more inside]
posted by yawper at 10:23 AM PST - 6 comments

My dad told me today he AND his girlfriend keep getting messages popping up on their laptops (Windows 10 / Chrome) when he tries to access his Gmail. These are not emails, but messages popping-up IN FRONT OF the usual list of emails on the page. Messages like ... [more inside]
posted by ZenMasterThis at 8:37 AM PST - 6 comments

We are about to up our contributions to causes we support, and are looking for new organizations to make recurring donations to. Please help us out by telling us about your favorite organizations working on any of: environment and climate change, equality and civil rights (especially BIPOC, LGBTQ+, women's, or immigrants and refugees), voting rights, animal welfare, police reform, prison reform, or poverty and hunger.
posted by kyrademon at 7:28 AM PST - 17 comments

I have an old 2009 Mac Mini (2.53 Intel Core 2 Duo) that I am not using and a Toshiba laptop that I'd like to upgrade with the internal SSD I put in the Mac Mini a few years ago. So that the Mac Mini isn't marooned, I'd like to install El Cap on another spare SSD I have for when I take out the internal SSD from the Mini. However, each of the various methods I am trying to install El Cap on the external SSD aren't working. [more inside]
posted by Slothrop at 7:17 AM PST - 11 comments

I've been dating someone for three months. He's thoughtful, intelligent, successful, wants the same things in life as me and has made it clear that he sees a future with me (as much as someone can in such a short space of time). He also has literally built my dream life and is inviting me to be a part of it. But my gut keeps telling me to run away, and my therapist says that one of my key challenges is learning to tune into and act on my gut. I'm obsessing and would love your thoughts. [more inside]
posted by starstarstar at 6:50 AM PST - 62 comments

I'm having to pay rent by check for the first time ever. Yay to outdated means of payment! Is there anything I should know about using my bank to send the check rather than doing it myself? I bank with Fidelity and notice it has a 'Deliver By' date that it allows me to choose. Am I pretty safe if I always put the date as by the 1st? New to the world of paying rent by check, so thanks! The landlord will also only allow it to be mailed, so no option of just handing it in.
posted by signondiego at 6:47 AM PST - 20 comments

I have been using Thunderbird for a couple years, but formatting emails has always been incredibly frustrating. I'm frequently having issues with strange spacing, different fonts being changed halfway through emails, and emails not appearing the way I intend when they arrive at the recipient. I previously used Outlook, and I never had these issues with email formatting. What email clients would you recommend? [more inside]
posted by unid41 at 6:18 AM PST - 8 comments

I am planning a move to Germany with my EU soon-to-be-spouse. As a British citizen and with Brexit looming, I am a bit anxious about it and could do with hearing from other Brits who have moved in the past year or so about their experiences. [more inside]
posted by ozgirlabroad at 5:46 AM PST - 5 comments

I am a single woman sheltering alone. I'm fastidious about social distancing, hand-washing, mask-wearing, etc. It's now been longer than usual since I've had sex, and I have no idea when it can be possible again under these conditions. I don't have any sex partners locally, so it'd have to be someone new, which would require a lot of trust and being certain that they're also serious about minimizing risk. I can't think of a way to make that happen and I understand if there is no way. But I'd love to hear how other singles in this situation have navigated this. I'm only talking about physical two -partner sex here, not video or sext or new masturbation toys or whwatever.
posted by anonymous at 5:38 AM PST - 5 comments

It seems i was fired. I could have avoided it. So easily. But I was unable to avoid it for reasons that are more legit than "i'm an irresponsible flake." Not super comfortable going into many details publicly.. but.. right.. more below the fold... [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 5:37 AM PST - 7 comments

There are some potato plants popping up out of my compost heap, growing from kitchen scraps. I have no plans to try to grow any potatoes, so are these plants A) robbing nutrients from my compost heap, and I should pull them out quickly, or B) taking in more energy/nutrients from the sun and the air, enriching my future compost, and I should let them grow? Or some combination of the two?
posted by Glier's Goetta at 1:16 AM PST - 6 comments

I am mostly vegetarian and would like to incorporate frozen white fish fillets like tilapia into my diet for budget and nutrition reasons. [more inside]
posted by whitelotus at 11:20 PM PST - 21 comments

I came back to the internet after dinner Tuesday evening to find two seemingly unrelated account oddities/breaches.. Not obviously related but it's not like these happen to me a lot, and the closeness in time is puzzling to me. [more inside]
posted by stevis23 at 9:23 PM PST - 5 comments

How have you reconfigured your living space for an extended Shelter in Place? [more inside]
posted by Toddles at 9:12 PM PST - 23 comments

Helping a friend who has just discovered an original painting in her late Grandmother’s things. We want to get it out of its current inappropriate storage, into a suitable frame, and find out its estimated worth. [more inside]
posted by Nancy_LockIsLit_Palmer at 7:21 PM PST - 6 comments

We are in the process of buying a house and we are overwhelmed. The most recent stumbling block is trying to decide whether buying points on the mortgage are worth it? [more inside]
posted by AwkwardPause at 6:28 PM PST - 19 comments

At 29 years-old I can honestly say that everything I have ever done has ended in disaster or failure. [more inside]
posted by 8LeggedFriend at 5:49 PM PST - 8 comments

I'm worried that the Queen Bee at my new job is trying to get me in trouble, or worse, bully me out of the place. Snowflakes inside.... [more inside]
posted by Kobayashi Maru at 5:39 PM PST - 8 comments

I'd like lightweight dishware. A smaller plate, bowl or plate/bowl hybrid will be fine. I'd like it to be nontoxic or less toxic, light to carry, microwaveable and dishwasher safe. It must be available for delivery or curbside at a store likely to be found in a large US metro. [more inside]
posted by rockyraccoon at 5:33 PM PST - 13 comments

Looking for a business in the UK who will : receive a PDF by email/upload, print PDF on light card; trim margin from resulting printer output; fold per instructions and; send to a London address via the traditional mail service ? [more inside]
posted by southof40 at 3:28 PM PST - 5 comments

Greetings. I am in the process of starting a Print on Demand Apparel online store? I have a number of concepts, ideas and designs in my mind I think (like everyone doing what I am doing) is a million dollar idea. I have hit a crossroad and have gotten several different opinions and 'definitive' answers that still don't sit well with me.... [more inside]
posted by TwilightKid at 2:01 PM PST - 7 comments

I use gmail (for not-for-profits) for work and regularly receive emails from multiple people (10+) at a huge agency that are never, ever formatted properly. This happens occasionally with smaller agencies, too. My coworkers do not have the issue and, in fact, if they receive an email and forward it to me, the formatting is perfect. What the heck is happening and how can I fix it? [more inside]
posted by VioletU at 1:56 PM PST - 9 comments

Small package of card + pix was sent to Melbourne nursing home resident in mid-April. No receipt. Assuming that package is in country and stuck for some reason. What would that be?
posted by John Borrowman at 11:22 AM PST - 13 comments

I have an old elbow injury that set improperly and partially dislocated. Because of this, I was unable to bend it fully. I took good care of it and there was no pain for many years until recently. I went into physical therapy to take care of some hand issues. The elbow was secondary. Bottom line, the therapist, without taking x-rays, attempted to straighten or stretch it out. While I did not say anything in the beginning. I soon realized he was going too far and asked him to stop. I am now in pain and the elbow now feels positioned where it is not going to recover. I am a yoga teacher. While I am willing to work with people who deal with a body in a mechanical way, this was atrocious. Nothing was asked about the elbow before or during the treatment. When seen or touched, it is obvious that x-rays are needed, and that my elbow can't be opened, stretched, or slipped into place. During the process nothing was asked about pain levels. [more inside]
posted by goalyeehah at 10:29 AM PST - 13 comments

I'm going to start training soon as a door-to-door Census enumerator in the Seattle area. The Census is important, and am eager to do what I can -- but I want to be safe. (This is in the context of COVID, and isn't about being bitten by a dog or other risks enumerators had in past years.) [more inside]
posted by The corpse in the library at 10:02 AM PST - 10 comments

I'm looking for some advice on how to keep my cat safe and happy. [more inside]
posted by charlen at 9:57 AM PST - 7 comments

Tell me about times in modern history that a country has faced the sort of threats to democracy or rule-of-law that the US is currently facing, but has managed to get its shit at least partway back together. [more inside]
posted by nebulawindphone at 9:54 AM PST - 16 comments

Are there any good alternate history treatments of what might have unfolded had Alexander the Great not died in 323 B.C.E. at Babylon when he was just 33? Thanks!
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 9:50 AM PST - 6 comments

Where can I find replacement hinges for a piano bench? [more inside]
posted by saladin at 9:27 AM PST - 10 comments

This was probably in a Halloween issue of Cricket -- it was a story about a pumpkin vine/patch that attacked a person (neighbor?) who didn't like the unruliness of pumpkin vines and had possibly tried to cut them back. Not sure if the pumpkins killed the person or just chased them away. [more inside]
posted by Not A Thing at 9:16 AM PST - 6 comments

Daughter is looking for online places to shop good summer PJs. [more inside]
posted by creiszhanson at 8:33 AM PST - 10 comments

We will be discussing with a GC new kitchen base and wall cabinetry. We want strong, well-built work. What kind of issues should we expect? There will no panelling, no moulding, but clean, flat-front. Probably maple. Edge-banding with a radius, or squared? What is Pro-Cor? Drawers to be dovetailed? puttied, chamfered edges, thickness? how is the drawer-front attached? Best drawer slides? Recycled countertop, Quartz? Other issues that will come up?
posted by ebesan at 7:57 AM PST - 13 comments

We recently adopted two kittens, a male and female from the same litter. He's much larger than she is, and I can't tell if they are playing, or fighting for real. More details and video inside. [more inside]
posted by Adridne at 7:16 AM PST - 24 comments

We have one kid. We want to set up baby monitors so that my wife and I can each have a monitoring unit, so we can both see/hear our kid simultaneously from different parts of the house. Ages ago, we had a unit that had one camera and two monitoring units but it broke. Currently, we tried just using two different monitor systems at the same time, but it seems their signals conflict with each other. Any suggestions? [more inside]
posted by ManInSuit at 6:55 AM PST - 6 comments

One of my friends just had the last two joints of her index and middle fingers bitten off by a dog. What are some things that will make her life easier going forward? [more inside]
posted by Telf at 6:42 AM PST - 10 comments

At what point do companies participating in the (United States) Paycheck Protection Program become able to fire/lay off current employees? Asking as an employee.
posted by anonymous at 5:03 AM PST - 6 comments

Can anyone pinpoint the original source(s) of this video? [more inside]
posted by Lurch at 9:46 PM PST - 3 comments

I would be very interested to know if any information, even a projection, exists on the number of people who started wearing masks because the President now both wears and endorses the wearing of a mask. [more inside]
posted by CollectiveMind at 6:54 PM PST - 12 comments

Can you help me get my Xbox One controller working on my PC? [more inside]
posted by Rhomboid at 6:40 PM PST - 9 comments

My three-year-old daughter has taken to demanding a song at bedtime recently. Usually this is Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star, because that's pretty much the one we know. But now she doesn't want regular Twinkle Twinkle anymore, but "the spooky one." Help? [more inside]
posted by Naberius at 5:33 PM PST - 48 comments

I'm thinking of adopting the dog I'm currently fostering, but can't decide if it's the best option for both of us. [more inside]
posted by violetish at 5:23 PM PST - 33 comments

An important Dropbox folder just suddenly disappeared. Why? [more inside]
posted by zardoz at 4:08 PM PST - 4 comments

I’m in a public park with a public charging station run off a generator. It’s staffed generally, but we have had some phones go missing and it’s majorly detrimental to the community of people assembled. I’m looking for a shopping list that keeps the charging station orderly, the phones lined up safely, perhaps within a locking cabinet or something? What would you do if you were building a safe space for charging 50 phones/battery packs/external speakers at any given time?
posted by wowenthusiast at 4:03 PM PST - 9 comments

My job is too stressful and I need to quit! Can I still get unemployment? [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 3:53 PM PST - 13 comments

Is there a device that I can program to send specific remote control signals to my TV's cable box on a set schedule? [more inside]
posted by Jacqueline at 3:25 PM PST - 12 comments

My fictional character is a PhD student in sociology when her entire life gets destroyed in a fire. This includes all her books, all her field work, photos, audio recordings, everything. The year is 1991. [more inside]
posted by swheatie at 2:44 PM PST - 17 comments

Asking for a friend in rural Missouri. It's not a pest but we're curious about it is. [more inside]
posted by VTX at 2:38 PM PST - 4 comments

Opened a gamma lid bucket with Zatarain's converted rice in it yesterday, rice has best by date of 2019. Wowwweee does it smell powerfully rancid. like worse than any old brown rice I've smelled. I thought converted rice had the bran removed, what gives? It IS rancidity, I know what that smell is. As a second question, how do I clean the bucket to get rid of the smell? Baking soda? Any ideas?
posted by Rufous-headed Towhee heehee at 2:15 PM PST - 5 comments

After a stint in Germany, my partner's flying back to San Francisco in a month. What's the protocol in terms of COVID-19? [more inside]
posted by tmcw at 1:45 PM PST - 5 comments

Is there a good iPad or Android app for drilling basic math operations? [more inside]
posted by elmonobonobo at 1:44 PM PST - 2 comments

Can anyone recommend a very simple yoga program/guide/YouTube for me to add to my life for flexibility and core strength? [more inside]
posted by wenestvedt at 1:27 PM PST - 7 comments

Pilcrow Bar ended and we're getting a little burned out on Codenames. What are your favorite light social boardgames / puzzle games / web-based games for adults that can either be played/solved entirely online or can easily be tackled through voice or video chat? [more inside]
posted by Two unicycles and some duct tape at 1:00 PM PST - 14 comments

I work essential retail which will be "requiring" customers to wear masks. But we will not be allowed to stop un-masked customers from entering the store. So, assume I will continue to be faced with unmasked customers. [more inside]
posted by mightshould at 12:40 PM PST - 23 comments

I'd really like to have ACLU "Know your Rights" in my sidewalk Little Free library. Unfortunately my budget doesn't include the $15/book option on their website. Is it ok for me to print these materials (either old school with a stapler or even have them printed by someone on etsy) and distribute for free? I tried calling and emailing ACLU but haven't gotten a response. [more inside]
posted by arnicae at 11:53 AM PST - 8 comments

Who manufactures awesome enamel pins like these ones? Is there a reliable company in Canada? The US? Elsewhere? [more inside]
posted by dobbs at 11:20 AM PST - 6 comments

I want a tablet or very small laptop to surf internet heavily and use MS Money Sunset Edition, a piece of software from 2010. I'll be using the software weekly-ish. I am NOT open to using other finance software. I want to spend less than $500 all-in. What options am I missing? [more inside]
posted by sandmanwv at 11:13 AM PST - 6 comments

We recently installed three Minka Aire Concept II fans in our bedrooms. I wanted to add wall remotes as well, but it appears the only one they sell has a bright blue LED on it that stays on when the fan is in use. Not good for sleeping! Are other remotes compatible? Are there any other options? [more inside]
posted by rouftop at 11:05 AM PST - 8 comments

For some reason or another, I have never bothered to determine his exact breed. I have had him for ten years, and it just didn't come up! For licensing purposes, I now need to determine his Primary Breed, Secondary Breed, Dominant Colour, and Secondary Colour. Please help (Pictures Included). [more inside]
posted by beatThedealer at 10:08 AM PST - 17 comments

I was working on an important presentation on my MacBook Pro 14,3. Under Windows in device manager I somehow deleted the network controller. Without reinstalling Windows and no internet connection what are my options?! [more inside]
posted by geoff. at 9:44 AM PST - 8 comments

Much of the "re-opening plan" of various educational institutions I'm involved with includes mask wearing, some form of distancing, hand washing, and aggressive cleaning and disinfection of surfaces. The first two are based on sound science and there seems to be lots of evidence that they are effective. However, is there any evidence that vigilant disinfection of surfaces makes any difference in the transmission of the Coronavirus? How about hand washing? [more inside]
posted by Betelgeuse at 9:29 AM PST - 20 comments

We're currently holing up at my family's house in the mountains indefinitely, and my wife is going to be teaching her college courses online in the next few weeks. We've set up her "office" in the best possible place in the house, except that the WiFi isn't as reliable there as we need it. [more inside]
posted by Navelgazer at 9:06 AM PST - 18 comments

My 6+ year old Dell Inspiron is starting to show its age, and I'm looking to upgrade - or at least starting to entertain the idea. Willing to spend a bit more this time around but there's so many choices! I'm willing to go up to about $1600 (or a bit more if it's really worth it), more details below the fold. [more inside]
posted by photo guy at 8:58 AM PST - 11 comments

I’m a 52 year old man. When I look for fitness advice (especially around strength training) it seems like most of what I see is targeted to people who are more into fitness than I am- people who want to spend several hours a week at the gym lifting weights. I just want to figure out how to keep reasonably fit in ways that are effective, minimize injury, etc. I welcome and tips/advice/pointers/resources you might have, as well as knowing what's worked for you. [more inside]
posted by ManInSuit at 7:43 AM PST - 19 comments

Rewards for tasks that were difficult or new habits that don't involve food or shopping [more inside]
posted by existentialwhale at 6:37 AM PST - 17 comments

Where are we shopping for our first bras these days? Kid will need some in the next few months. I have a 30+ year gap in my knowledge here, and I'm sure that options are immensely better than they were when I was twelve. While I know that shopping in person is better for bra buying, we would prefer online options (USA) given covid. [more inside]
posted by gaspode at 6:15 AM PST - 19 comments

I want to read accounts of relationships with narcissists, misogynists or players. I'd love to read about women's journeys through self-doubt, confusion, trauma and anger, moving into emotional freedom and feminist independence. I'm open to other slants on the theme, or a gender swap too.
posted by miaow at 4:09 AM PST - 8 comments

My Pixel 3 is starting to struggle a bit, especially with overheating. The model I have isn't available any more, so I'd like to shop around for a replacement. The Pixel 4 is atrocious looking so that's out (for now.) Should I try Samsung? My only requirements are that it's under $800, available for AT&T, and at least a little pretty.
posted by Kitchen Witch at 1:50 AM PST - 10 comments

I came across the cheese sauce recipe from Modernist Cuisine that uses sodium citrate to make a creamy sauce. The texture was great, but it was pretty salty. Is there something I can do to fix this? [more inside]
posted by Ghidorah at 9:47 PM PST - 11 comments

When I put on a mask with a metal nose fitting piece (like these or my homemade variation), and just press down on either side of the metal strip with my fingers, I get a tiny gap in the middle of the nose piece - the bend is sharper than the actual curve on the bridge of my nose. Is there a better technique for fitting these metal nose pieces? [more inside]
posted by amtho at 9:29 PM PST - 6 comments

For HK Mefites: I may be on the verge of a job offer from Hong Kong. Is this (the next 6-8 months) the worst possible time to move there, from a socio-political perspective? Or no worse than a move to anywhere else in pandemica? I know you do not have a crystal ball, and I do have friends there who can weigh in, but thought i’d also try the blue. thanks! (deets below the fold) [more inside]
posted by mollymillions at 7:57 PM PST - 7 comments

I feel terrible about making an insurance claim. How to proceed, both pragmatically and emotionally/ethically? [more inside]
posted by unstrungharp at 5:43 PM PST - 45 comments

We are getting a new stove Tuesday but we will go from a down draft (through the floor and through my basement out to a mysterious location covered by a screen porch) to needing no vent on the floor. Anyone have ANY idea what I should do to the hole there other than carefully covering it?
posted by ReluctantViking at 5:12 PM PST - 5 comments

A few years ago, a long (maybe book length) poem was written about dressing a deer. [more inside]
posted by PinkMoose at 5:11 PM PST - 4 comments

I (along with several thousand other people I'm sure) have something I'd like to say to Democratic voters in heavily blue and heavily red states. It's not controversial, I'm just trying to get a thought out there. How does one do this on various budgets? [more inside]
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 5:03 PM PST - 6 comments

I have a memory of being really unsettled in 2001 when Bush announced the creation of the Department of Homeland Security because I'd just read a synopsis of an older book (or maybe movie?) set in a dystopian America where people were being disappeared by agents of a Department of Homeland Security, or something very close in name. [more inside]
posted by Jon_Evil at 3:52 PM PST - 3 comments

I live with cats, but want to send lightly-used paperback books to a friend with a cat allergy. Is there a way to disinfect them so that I don't cause an allergic reaction? [more inside]
posted by shelle at 3:35 PM PST - 7 comments

I live in an apartment and my AC was working fine this morning, and now while still blowing what feels like cool air, my apartment is HOT. Management office is closed on Sundays—what can I do to keep it somewhat cool in here? [more inside]
posted by nancynickerson at 3:11 PM PST - 10 comments

I'd love to know more about the broad panorama of U.S. history in the early part of the 20thC ... and I'd love to find it all in one book. [more inside]
posted by MinPin at 2:07 PM PST - 3 comments

I have a family member who works PRN as a physical therapist's assistant. Facilities are not providing N95 masks for them. [more inside]
posted by Number Used Once at 2:00 PM PST - 5 comments

I ordered a lamp on Etsy on May 8. It was shipped (from Beograd, Serbia) a week later, using USPS Priority Mail International Parcels. On June 24, tracking shows it inbound to Customs and There.It.Sits. The tracking just says "Inbound Into Customs. Your item is being processed by United States Customs." Is this delay common, is it Covid-related, or does it suggest there may be A Problem? Any suggestions of what I can do to maybe expedite this?
posted by DrGail at 12:58 PM PST - 14 comments

I'm considering doing some secondhand selling of vintage pieces, and I'm wondering how ethical selling secondhand jewelry is... [more inside]
posted by orangesky4 at 12:13 PM PST - 9 comments

What's my best option? Ideally 6+ hrs of runtime, and sturdy; a number of reviews I've read for various models have complaints of dead speakers after a couple of good pothole jolts. I don't need it to have a light, power bank, microphone, etc, just good sound quality.
posted by curious nu at 11:39 AM PST - 18 comments

A friend climbed Denali a couple of years ago and brought me a bear claw bracelet as a gift from Alaska. I don't wear a lot of jewellery and had forgotten about this until recently, when I found the bracelet at the bottom of a drawer. Two questions... [more inside]
posted by chappell, ambrose at 11:08 AM PST - 17 comments

The Trump-appointed Postmaster General has issued directives that are said to delay delivery of mail. Are delays being applied to packages shipped from China, especially? [more inside]
posted by Kirth Gerson at 10:22 AM PST - 3 comments

Nasal congestion has lead to post-nasal drip which has lead to bad coughing spells, likely as a result of allergies or possible sinus issues. I'm getting to the point where trying to manage it myself isn't working out so great. Looking for next steps [more inside]
posted by Aranquis at 10:19 AM PST - 20 comments

Can anyone definitively tell me if the Mexico post office/Correos de México is currently shipping small parcels to the US? Was there a stoppage due to Covid, and if yes, has shipping resumed? [more inside]
posted by BlahLaLa at 7:47 AM PST - 3 comments

Can Logitech Unifying receivers be reused? I replaced my 7-year-old Logitech MX Master Mouse. The old mouse was used between three computers with XP, Windows 7, and Windows 10 operating systems. I planned to reuse the old receivers. They would not pair with either the XP or W10 system. I realize the specs on the new MX Master do not mention being useable on XP. I did software updates and installed the Logitech Unifying software. [more inside]
posted by Raybun at 6:41 AM PST - 4 comments

Trying to find a particular meme image featuring Data and Geordi from Star Trek: The Next Generation. In it, Geordi describes his girlfriend, and then Data issues the punchline about her being "imaginary" (like 'e' or other imaginary numbers). Anyone seen this?
posted by mark7570 at 5:20 AM PST - 4 comments

I have a container garden on a small upper-foor balcony in the UK (Manchester). Last year I successfully grew three cherry tomato plants and this year I've started three new ones from seed. However, all my other containers are sprouting tomato plants en masse no matter what else I plant there. There are SO MANY of them. How and why is this happening?! I'm totally mystified. [more inside]
posted by iamkimiam at 2:46 AM PST - 15 comments

This is silly, but I don't quite understand the available cycles of my washing machine. [more inside]
posted by Otto Franz Joseph Leopold von Soxen-Puppetten at 10:30 PM PST - 3 comments

Is it worth purchasing and DIYing flatware, glassware, and linens for your wedding vs. renting them for a wedding event if it saves you $$$? [more inside]
posted by shortyJBot at 3:17 PM PST - 32 comments

Is getting an other than honorable discharged from the military the same thing as being fired legally speaking? [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 2:50 PM PST - 14 comments

I'm single, have no prospects for dating or even casual sex, and finding it hard to cope. [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 2:50 PM PST - 17 comments

My 3-year-old loves to type. We usually set him up in Word, but it's a frustrating experience -- he hits keyboard combos, accidentally opens things or shuts down the program. Is there a way to restrict the keyboard to ONLY the alphabetical keys and/or programs that are designed for toddlers to type and nothing else? [more inside]
posted by melodykramer at 2:11 PM PST - 9 comments

In this time of staring at some corners of my apartment a lot more than I used to, I need a better storage solution. What kind of vertical shelving (portable, I rent), would let me hold my trash can, my recycling can, plastic stacked bins of cat food and litter, plus cases of soda and some amount of the contents of the pantry? I have about 3 feet of wall width to work with, and the trash cans are 2 feet tall and need about 3.5 feet of height to open enough for daily use. [more inside]
posted by jenettsilver at 12:59 PM PST - 5 comments

We're resigned to the sad truth that nobody will be joining us for a guided sightseeing tour of Los Angeles in 2020, and are figuring out how to take our show on the virtual road, via Zoom webinars. What is the cheapest, smoothest way to sell tickets for a webinar? [more inside]
posted by Scram at 12:43 PM PST - 5 comments

I'm trying to set up a high-level project management dashboard in Excel to track 40 projects, with a common broad set of 10-15 tasks (but some options among the subtasks, and some tasks not necessary in certain projects), some subcontracted out, and three levels of prioritization which will dictate the due date for each type of task. Specifically, how can I use formatting or text to let a single Excel cell reflect whether a task is needed or not, due on a certain date or not, and completed or not? [more inside]
posted by acidic at 12:42 PM PST - 6 comments

I just bought a new Frigidaire air conditioner, model FFTA103WA1. It is through the wall, not window, but we put it in a window -- without the back grill. [more inside]
posted by DMelanogaster at 12:37 PM PST - 13 comments

I currently have a female boss who seems to be easier on the men we work with vs the women. She constantly puts us down in a subtle but still sort of obvious way, treats us condescendingly, and seems to be more abrasive in general. [more inside]
posted by Kobayashi Maru at 11:36 AM PST - 25 comments

Currently (indefinitely) living in a small, urban apartment but I am able to work from home. I'm thinking about renting a lake house/cabin/rural-ish place somewhere on the East Coast for a few weeks later this fall while continuing to work from home. I have a kayak, so ideally thinking about a spot near water and hiking where I could be secluded/safely distant from others but where I could also see the fall foliage change. [more inside]
posted by forkisbetter at 10:50 AM PST - 5 comments

John Adams's Lollapalooza is built around a 5-note motif (first heard at 1:09 in the linked video) that mimics the rhythm of the word "Lollapalooza". Dizzy Gillespie's Salt Peanuts does the same thing (the motif first appears at 0:15), but isn't completely instrumental -- Diz gives the game away at 0:39 by singing the words. Help me make a list of instrumentals (of any genre) that mimic the intonations of their titles!
posted by aws17576 at 10:17 AM PST - 16 comments

A relative is asking if I can pay $8.50 in court fees to avoid a warrant being issued for his arrest. I can afford this. How could I say yes without getting overly involved in his affairs? Also he might be wrong about the warrant. Or the amount. [more inside]
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 9:47 AM PST - 32 comments

Can you save (the other half of) my cookies? I made these easy peanut butter cookies, but they came out way too crumbly... [more inside]
posted by taz at 8:07 AM PST - 10 comments

Stress is ongoing during the pandemic, and I'm doing my best to cope whilst also providing love and support for my spouse, who is going through some pretty serious stress and depression right now. Do MeFites have any tips for improving my calm and my patience? [more inside]
posted by six sided sock at 6:33 AM PST - 18 comments

My husband and I are exhausted dealing with our current living situation: we've been living with my best friend from childhood who purchased a house ~7 years ago but is kind of a terrible roommate/landlord. Additional complexity: I have another long-term partner of 6 years who's in a similar living situation and is also feeling the chafe of living in COVID times with someone who he no longer gets along with as well as he used to. The goal: find and buy somewhere for me, my husband, and my partner to live. I've done a little bit of research but feel like I've barely scraped the surface and mostly have uncovered more questions than answers. Can you help me out? [more inside]
posted by miratime at 4:46 AM PST - 12 comments

Have a couple of hundred square feet of rabbitbrush, asters, and formally enough poison hemlock to take out a small country. We’ve high up and gets lots of snow. Thoughts on landscaping? [more inside]
posted by inflatablekiwi at 2:31 AM PST - 5 comments

Are there any thoughtfully written books, or movies, (or poems even) about two people who stay faithful in their marriages, yet sustain decades of deep affection and loving support for each other?
posted by anonymous at 1:16 AM PST - 11 comments

A couple of near-novices are looking to create a tool (website) for helping people in rent stabilized apartments. How can we go about doing this? [more inside]
posted by junques at 10:04 PM PST - 6 comments

I want to come out and share my awful bullying/lay off experience at my former workplace for a number of reasons. I'm a bit hesitant, however. [more inside]
posted by thoughtful_analyst at 8:34 PM PST - 16 comments

Help, it's driving me nuts! [more inside]
posted by STFUDonnie at 7:58 PM PST - 3 comments

Dopamine? Blood tests? Family member is struggling with ADHD and extremely resistant to therapy, so zero hope there. He's trying to adopt a 10-20 min (baby steps) daily meditation practice, which he says help...when he can make it happen. He's otherwise generally healthy. But he needs a hand. I see him struggle and am trying to come up with ways. Also interested in short but inspiring TED talks on the subject of (embracing?) overcoming adult ADHD (gifts?) challenges. [more inside]
posted by AnOrigamiLife at 7:54 PM PST - 16 comments

While reading an article today, they referenced a geographic coordinate using 12 characters - 11TLF 2198 2473 - which is in the desert near where the Burning Man festival takes place every year (So, Nevada and Black Rock Desert). I've never seen this type of coordinate before, I'm used to the latitude and longitude numbers. Does anyone recognize this? Can you tell me the name of this type of coordinate system so I can read up on it? Thanks!
posted by TimHare at 6:01 PM PST - 6 comments

I would like to buy my brother a gift of ... something... to help make ravioli. He has a new pasta roller, but mentioned wanting a ravioli mold or stamp. [more inside]
posted by lemonade at 5:37 PM PST - 6 comments

If you have experience with this, where would you point someone wanting to understand more? General advice or stories would be great too.
posted by Preemptive Distress at 2:28 PM PST - 12 comments

Apartment dweller here. I'm looking for easy portable furniture that I can set up on the lawn for maximum summer enjoyment and lounging! [more inside]
posted by biscuits at 2:27 PM PST - 6 comments

I've started to researchresearchresearch neck gaiters (or buffs) to add to my personal PPP arsenal. While I agree 2- or 3-ply cloth masks made of tightly woven fabric are best, there are some situations (e.g. hiking) in which something that's easier to slip on and off might work better for me. So far, I've only found extremely gossamer gaiters that emphasize breathability. Most seem to be pre-Covid legacy accessories intended for UV protection. I'd like something that's, if not as good as a regular cloth mask, at least a bit beefier than what I'm seeing out there. Where are the good gaiters?
posted by Text TK at 2:15 PM PST - 18 comments

I’m dealing with someone who is often cruel - not just to me but to and about others. He is immensely popular. I’m sure that not everyone who likes him is themselves evil - that there are good reasons in life to be friends with someone like that. If you’re friends with someone like that, can I ask why? Having some potential context will help me practice compassion for some of these folks.
posted by The Last Sockpuppet at 2:09 PM PST - 24 comments

Is there any better information on COVID and food than what WHO has? I am not super trusting of the CDC right now because I fear their answers are going to be more politically inspired. My question is about food and food packages brought into the house through delivery, not eating in restaurants. The WHO page does not fill me with confidence. More inside. [more inside]
posted by FencingGal at 12:54 PM PST - 15 comments

What should I look for in a guitar instructor, online? Where should I look? [more inside]
posted by Alterscape at 12:49 PM PST - 9 comments

I need a home-office in my temporary home. Compact but functional. And it's temporary so I don't want to spend too much. Is there a way to make some of the desk be over the bed? But I want to be sitting in a real chair not sit on the bed. (both for ergonomics reasons and for professionalism while video-conferencing reasons). [more inside]
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 11:47 AM PST - 14 comments

I am both a picky eater and I grew up in a poor family without resources for good food or interest in eating healthy. In the last years, I have relied on cheap fast food, but now I would like to learn the basics of how to eat well. [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 11:45 AM PST - 30 comments

I currently live and work in the United States. I've been here on a work permit for only a couple of years and have moved around a bit during that time, so I don't have many ties at all here, except for my work. I'm trying to form a plan/decision tree for when I would decide to return to my home country (where the COVID response hasn't been perfect but is doing a lot better than the US) - something along the lines of "if X happens, or if Y number exceeds Z, it's time to start making arrangements to go, and if Q happens, it's time to go NOW". What sort of numbers/events should I be looking out for, and how do I set my breaking points? [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 11:13 AM PST - 14 comments

I’ve gone through a lot of stress in the last few years. It’s mostly over, but I still can’t get anything done. I can’t focus. I’m not myself. How do I get better? [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 11:13 AM PST - 6 comments

My 100-year-old grandmother lives with me. She has impaired vision and (improperly) uses a walker. She is destroying the house with it--specifically the kitchen cabinets. How can I stop this? [more inside]
posted by arniec at 10:42 AM PST - 22 comments

What are your favorite snacks that can be ordered online to bring a bit of cheer to sheltering in place? [more inside]
posted by ferret branca at 10:19 AM PST - 14 comments

Does anyone have a good system or tool for keeping track of what brands you and your family like from the grocery store? I'm looking for something I can do on my phone. I'm not looking for grocery lists. [more inside]
posted by Admiral Haddock at 9:36 AM PST - 12 comments

My 8-year old has been extremely helpful in caring for his little brother during quarantine. We’ve been borrowing a school Chromebook but I want to purchase something that he can use for schoolwork and to play the games he’s recently gotten into. Help me not mess this up! [more inside]
posted by luckyveronica at 9:25 AM PST - 6 comments

I (cis fem) am the only POC employed by a business of around 50 people, and the first diverse hire in the company's history. We're a rapidly-growing marketing agency in a highly diverse international metropolis, and we're currently looking to hire around 15 more people with varying skill sets and seniority levels. I want to know that my bosses actually do care about hiring POC in this next round, and I want to know how they plan to enable that. I have booked a meeting on Monday to talk through this with the MD. Any ideas on how I can help this be a constructive and fruitful experience? [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 9:25 AM PST - 9 comments

Just moved into a new place and the orange color of the kitchen floor tile seems to be rubbing off on our feet/socks. Why? How to fix? [more inside]
posted by sinfony at 8:22 AM PST - 12 comments

I'm crafting a little children's book, and I want one of the pages to be a mirror -- or as close to it as I can reach. I've tried gluing aluminum foil to the page, but it doesn't reflect images very well. Will reflective window paper be mirror-like when stuck onto a page? Is there a better option? (I'm in the UK so it needs to be available here.) [more inside]
posted by yankeefog at 7:26 AM PST - 15 comments

My husband's beard length is light stubble (1/8th of an inch ). We went to a light brown shade and when he applies it on Friday, by Sunday the grey is coming through and by Tuesday it appears like it hasn't been done. Is this because he is using a lighter colour or is it because the hair is that short? Why doesn't it last, and is there another product that is as easy and works better?
posted by Tziv at 6:00 AM PST - 7 comments

I have more clotted cream at home than I can eat in the time before it will go bad, thanks to a gift basket from work. I'd like to freeze some of it, but it was already frozen before transit and the packaging is marked "do not refreeze". I'd like more specifics on what will happen to the cream if I try freezing it again to help me decide whether to try saving some. [more inside]
posted by terretu at 5:34 AM PST - 7 comments

I live in a condo, have a balcony that gets plenty of sun, and a storage unit across the hall where I could safely store something that needs fuel. I THINK I would prefer solar, because I only need to power one item, but that might be short sighted. Google searches are OVERWHELMING. Generator advice, lessons learned? Thank you!
posted by lextex at 5:08 AM PST - 21 comments

What it says on the tin! I have a big bag of Kroger unsalted in-shell peanuts, and I would like them to be salted in-shell peanuts. Is there a process I can do at home to make this happen? [more inside]
posted by Pig Tail Orchestra at 4:32 AM PST - 7 comments

I have two Kransky sausages left over from a previous recipe... While the internet has many ideas does anyone have any tried and true novel ideas..ie not hotdogs
posted by Lesium at 3:56 AM PST - 9 comments

I remember reading this novel about whales around 25 years ago. Did it actually exist? [more inside]
posted by cilantro at 12:36 AM PST - 4 comments

I've had great success in health gains over the course of a year by tracking multiple parameters of my fitness in a non-triggering way, via my gym's proprietary app. Now I'm leaving that gym and I need some new tool to help me. Parameters inside. [more inside]
posted by BlahLaLa at 9:51 PM PST - 5 comments

I am looking for a detailed timeline or other thorough write-up describing what happened with the Covid-19 outbreaks that were linked to schools in Israel. This outbreak is often trotted out as Exhibit A for why it is unsafe to open schools. But from what I've been able to piece together, it's more Exhibit A for why you shouldn't ignore reasonable practices when reopening schools. [more inside]
posted by Winnie the Proust at 9:28 PM PST - 6 comments

We are longtime renters of a house we like very much. Our cat, in the last few years, has developed a peeing problem. Tonight we discovered he's been peeing for who knows how long onto a cat bed that was situated directly on the hardwood floor. And so now we have a big, fat, smelly problem. [more inside]
posted by whistle pig at 9:08 PM PST - 31 comments

As the US looks like we will be experiencing Covid-19 surges for the next (few? many?) months (years?), I'm wondering what you have (or would like) to do to improve your home for maximum quarantine enjoyment. [more inside]
posted by girlalex at 8:53 PM PST - 23 comments

I'm trying to assess the risk of different outdoor activities now and would love some thoughts and guidelines on what can safely be done in my local area and what is still too risky due to Covid-19. As a household we've been pretty locked down, but we've been talking about a few outdoor items and are trying to figure out how to assess risk, and guidelines if things are safe enough to attempt. [more inside]
posted by Carillon at 8:22 PM PST - 6 comments

I have legally changed my name and need to update my Ontario health card and photo ID. I've been completely unable to find any information online about whether and how Service Ontario locations are handling photo-taking given the current provincial mandate of masks in all public indoor locations. It's also impossible to get through to them by phone to ask. Does anybody here know from firsthand experience?
posted by cabbage raccoon at 6:41 PM PST - 3 comments

I got my road bike in 2012 along with shoes and clips. Eight years later, my shoes are falling apart, and one shoe comes unclipped every so often. Time for new shoes! Problem is, I need the right kind of shoes to fit my clips and I don't know what kind of clip system I have. Can you help me ID the clip system and point me in the right direction of somewhere to buy shoes online and what particular shoes to get that aren't super expensive? Photos here.
posted by timnyc at 5:19 PM PST - 13 comments

I was granted an extra 13 weeks of unemployment because of PEUC - Yay!! However, MiWAM is asking me to certify for weeks that I already certified on my previous claim. Should I "skip" each week I certified before? Or should I "double up"? Each option seems risky - more inside [more inside]
posted by rebent at 4:22 PM PST - 2 comments

Goya is having some weirdo romance with Trump. This entire timeline is an embarrassment and now it's ruining our meal plans. Goya black bean soup and their Spanish Style yellow rice are staples in this house. Help me find a new brand that is just as good. [more inside]
posted by instead of three wishes at 4:16 PM PST - 8 comments

I did something incredibly stupid - I watched a few minutes of porn (a major popular website) during a down time while on my company's network (a 'big corporation') (work from home) - am I screwed? ughh
posted by anonymous at 3:11 PM PST - 28 comments

By April, 1792, how many statutes of King Louis XVI remained in Paris. [more inside]
posted by clavdivs at 2:31 PM PST - 2 comments

I have a mid-2010 iMac running El Capitan. I enabled icloud for syncing photos from the iMac to iCloud and to my photo streams on my iPhone. It is not working! Would appreciate getting some ideas on how to go about trying to fix this. Some additional details and context below: [more inside]
posted by justlooking at 2:25 PM PST - 7 comments

I found this little creeper on my driveway today. Is it a caterpillar or just a centipede kind of thing?
posted by mefireader at 2:23 PM PST - 3 comments

So I'm listening to 'I Will Wait for You' by Connie Francis this morning and I remember that there used to be another 'cover' of a famous movie song I used to listen to-- problem is, I don't even remember what the song was and for some reason the singers name I had in my head, Nina Musraki, seems to be something I flat out made up?? The single other fact I remember is that a verse was sung in Italian and it's KILLING ME! Thought someone here might be able to help??
posted by dr handsome at 2:21 PM PST - 2 comments

What are your favorite Frugal living blogs, in time's like this it's good to see other ways people are making ends meet. Thanks so much for the help!
posted by Upon Further Review at 1:53 PM PST - 14 comments

I've noticed that when other people (and me) accomplish something that was hard, some friends and family don't even mention the accomplishment even though they've been aware of the work getting there over months or years. Why is that? [more inside]
posted by CollectiveMind at 1:39 PM PST - 9 comments

Historically I've owned mac laptops, but I'm considering getting a desktop PC. I'm finding the choices/options kind of bewildering. I know I don't want to build my own computer. Is there a company/service/whatever that I can get suggestions from based on my budget/uses/etc? I'm open to this being a salesperson or an independent person, but I don't even know if this is a thing. [more inside]
posted by hapticactionnetwork at 1:17 PM PST - 14 comments

Also, depending on the count, are there certain times when a pitcher would be more or less likely to throw of these pitches instead of a fastball?
posted by BadgerDoctor at 12:56 PM PST - 10 comments

A bunch of hard-to-get important-to-us baby board books were mailed to us. They got water logged. They are moldy. Can these books be saved? [more inside]
posted by k8t at 12:18 PM PST - 9 comments

I’ve taken to re-using some of the containers from our groceries for other pantry staples and I’m looking to expand my repertoire. What specific items and brands can you recommend that come in high quality, good sized jars or other airtight reusable containers? [more inside]
posted by bq at 9:04 AM PST - 49 comments

I find wildly varying estimates online regarding how many American citizens live in both mainland China and in Hong Kong. And I don't see a breakdown of the numbers I find between American citizens born in America and those who became citizens (i.e., Chinese who immigrated to US, became citizens, then returned to live in China / HK). I'd also like to see the reverse statistics - i.e., the number of Chinese citizens who live in the US. Is there an authoritative resource for this information?
posted by Jackson at 6:49 AM PST - 2 comments

I'm trying to make my tax payment online in time for today's US tax deadline, and both DirectPay and one of the private payment partner sites are acting like it's the 16th already. I know I pushed it to the deadline, but I've been trying to do this since 8:45 PM (West Coast time). DirectPay even had a planned service outage at 8:45 PM (West Coast time). Am I just out of luck because I'm now past midnight East Coast time? Or what should I do?
posted by slidell at 10:59 PM PST - 6 comments

A few days ago, I decided to do the right thing and purchase an ebook on Bookshop.org. Unfortunately, I did not do the right thing by not researching how bookshop.org handles ebooks. I hate reading books on my phone, but that seems to be the only option I can find. [more inside]
posted by firemonkey at 10:17 PM PST - 5 comments

As well as transitioning a lot of classes to online delivery for the first time, the institution I teach at is also in the middle of transitioning to Canvas as our new LMS (fun!). This seems like a good thing in a lot of ways, but Canvas' in-built discussion and chat tools are clunky. I'd like to work around them and embed something better, but what? [more inside]
posted by threecheesetrees at 9:45 PM PST - 10 comments

Walking around my parents' neighborhood in central Florida, I see a number of what I think are large (40 ft or more) Norfolk Island pine trees. About half of them are split some ways up the trunk into two or more tops about the same height. My question is about apical dominance. How could it happen that an additional shoot apical meristem would develop in the other fork(s) of the plant in a species with strong apical dominance like that one? What's the mechanism there? Scholarly articles and your own thoughts very welcome!
posted by pH Indicating Socks at 9:23 PM PST - 7 comments

I'm looking for the rarest of things: a tire inflator that can stop at a preset pressure, is compact, is not cheap plastic, is as simple as possible (no battery, no doo-dads), and operates off of a 12V power port (aka cigarette lighter). where in the multiverse does this exist? [more inside]
posted by zippy at 8:38 PM PST - 6 comments

I got in an argument with my boyfriend recently that lead me to impulsively tell him I wanted to break up with him, which I ended up regretting. A day later, I told him I still want to be with him, which he seems to be cool with him him after we take a break. The reality is, I probably won't change my impulsiveness. Should we continue this relationship? [more inside]
posted by sqrt(-1) at 7:55 PM PST - 15 comments

Security specialist speculation requested! Twitter has just been hacked with a lot of verified accounts posting a Bitcoin address and soliciting donations, promising to return double the amount. How on Earth could a hacker have gotten control of these high level accounts? Feel free to get technical.
posted by The Last Sockpuppet at 5:14 PM PST - 17 comments

Hello! Toby Macaroni joined 4-person household in October. He is currently 9 months old and we love him a lot, play with him a lot (cardboard wire apparatus, strings, etc.), and stimulate his mind. He continually nips at our feet -- and it hurts! What are gentle ways that we can redirect his behavior? Saying shhh really loudly and NO isn't working.
posted by melodykramer at 4:04 PM PST - 19 comments

What resources are out there for a non white supremacist or colonialist curriculum? [more inside]
posted by moons in june at 3:11 PM PST - 10 comments

I'm having trouble starting an embroidery project. Does my kit suck or am I doing something wrong? [more inside]
posted by Paper rabies at 2:41 PM PST - 20 comments

I just left a project and in goodbye e-mails I got amazing praise, in the back of the mind being warranted but somewhat surprising in the level. Normally, I tend to think that my performance is not great and think that managers are disappointed. How can I use these feedback in the future to keep me from having those thoughts in the future? How have remembered it?
posted by sandmanwv at 1:06 PM PST - 9 comments

I'm sure they're dreadful for the environment, but I feel like my house hasn't been clean since I stopped being able to get bleach wipes. I have been completely unable to find any online, and am trying to avoid searching place to place in person (I'm in DC, no car) for just this one thing. [more inside]
posted by Space Kitty at 12:52 PM PST - 16 comments

I am a 46 year old lefty activist who, after all these years, has never really understood the differences between various dominant flavors of communist and socialist thought (thanks long-tailed anti-red disinformation campaign). Can you give me a brief explainer? [more inside]
posted by latkes at 12:23 PM PST - 20 comments

Recently, I adopted my daughter from the foster care system. I want to get her a new Social Security Number, which is a common practice when adopting a child from foster care. [more inside]
posted by dog-eared paperback at 11:42 AM PST - 5 comments

My company currently sells logo hats that are mass-produced in Bangladesh. We would like to support made-in-the-USA, minority-owned businesses with ethical and sustainable labor and materials, and we are willing to pay more for such a product (or as close as we can get). However, I'm not having luck searching for them on my own. Does the hivemind know about any such companies?
posted by BuddhaInABucket at 11:41 AM PST - 6 comments

My sister-in-law will be having a c-section this month, and will need to be in the hospital for a few days to recover. My parents (both elderly, one recovering from cancer) want to see her and the baby when she gets back from the hospital. Currently none of them have Covid, but we're weighing the risks that my sister-in-law may pick up Covid just from her time spent recovering in the hospital, and whether or not my parents should wait two weeks so as not to risk exposure. Is there any current hospital transmission data about non-ICU patients catching Covid? We're in California, if that helps.
posted by egeanin at 11:38 AM PST - 11 comments

I don't like cars and have never owned one in my life, but mass transit is looking like it'll be Covid-risky for a while. It would be nice to be able to leave Brooklyn sometimes. So my partner and I are thinking about buying a used car. I've looked through the general tips on car-buying (love that Nicole Cliffe article), but I'm wondering if anyone has any tips that are 1) used car-specific, 2) NYC-specific, or 3) Covid-specific. [more inside]
posted by the_blizz at 10:35 AM PST - 12 comments

There are a lot of families I know with new babies or deaths in the family. I like to bring them food. But I never know what to bring -- help! [more inside]
posted by caoimhe at 10:19 AM PST - 18 comments

I've been using an original Nest thermostat for almost a decade with no problems. Lately, the fan will sometimes not run when I activate it via the Nest app (or the thermostat itself). [more inside]
posted by krunk at 9:57 AM PST - 3 comments

In a pickle jar I'm jammed like a Concord grape. I have nothing but insignificant un-sentimental junk like the aforementioned jars and mismatched dish menagerie, loads of boxed up nothing scheduled datebooks, crossword magazines, indecipherable letters and postcards...I am getting ill at the thought of describing how much useless-news-less refuse I am up to my boobs in (but wait theres more) [more inside]
posted by The_imp_inimpossible at 9:39 AM PST - 17 comments

I need help with my home office set up. I've recently moved my laptop to try and set up something a bit more comfortable and permanent for my home office. I purchased a KVM switch so that I can use the keyboard, mouse and monitors that I already have on both my home PC and my work laptop. However, I'm finding that the internet connection is slightly terrible. I have a single network cable connected to my PC. Is there any way to use the network cable to connect to both my work laptop and my home PC? [more inside]
posted by NoneOfTheAbove at 9:12 AM PST - 6 comments

I need to get a car for my 17-year-old to drive to school, but I'm struggling to figure out what makes sense. What has worked well for others in terms of cars for young drivers? Hybrid or no? What to prioritize? [more inside]
posted by jeoc at 8:42 AM PST - 18 comments

Every year my husband has his team to our house for a casual lunch BBQ. We want to still do it this year, but modified to lower the risk. I am looking for ideas and help planning. [more inside]
posted by ohio at 8:40 AM PST - 10 comments

What are they and how do we get rid of them? We have these teeny barely visible crawling bugs in our gazebo that bite. I've tried washing the chairs and tables down with pinesol but that hasn't helped. You can feel them immediately and it feels like a mosquito bite. Sometimes I see them crawl across a page in a book so their colour is clear.
posted by Tziv at 8:14 AM PST - 12 comments

American German consulate is closed only for emergency requests. Is it possible for an American to pursue German citizenship at this time? Are there any paid reputable services that can help? [more inside]
posted by cardamom at 7:53 AM PST - 5 comments

I’m a widowed parent and family members are pressuring me to get back in the game. I don’t want to. I’m not sure I ever will. Is this more common than I think? [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 3:16 AM PST - 47 comments

I've taken an early IRA withdrawal of $50k. It's covid related so no 10% penalty. I expect I will have to pay approx 30%, or 15k, in income tax if I don't repay the amount over the next three years. [more inside]
posted by perdhapley at 10:51 PM PST - 4 comments

I've got a table, tblVegePlantings. It has a field VegeType, which contains items like Carrots, Peas, and Broccoli. I've got three other fields - DatePurchased, DatePlanted, and DateHarvested. Each record also has a unique PlantingID. [more inside]
posted by some little punk in a rocket at 6:36 PM PST - 6 comments

I watched a TedTalk about how we don't actually know why we chose our marriage partner, took a certain job, or moved to a certain city, we have reasons we tell ourselves and tell the world, but we rarely are aware of the true reasons behind our choices. Which TedTalk did I watch? It wasn't this one but I don't know which one it was.
posted by maxexam at 6:11 PM PST - 7 comments

So I was trying to guesstimate as a thought experiment the odds of catching COVID in a grocery store here in Ottawa. I got to a certain spot but then I got stuck. What's the best way forward? Here's what I have so far.... [more inside]
posted by storybored at 6:08 PM PST - 22 comments

Just that. Someone I know has an account with Simple. They were told by customer service that they'll be contacted by the fraud dept in 2 weeks and they will not provide contact info directly to the fraud department. This person can't wait that long. We've searched the website and can't find anything. Does anyone know how to reach Simple's fraud department? Thank you.
posted by smashface at 5:49 PM PST - 6 comments

This symbol has recently appeared on two vehicles owned by my new neighbor. I'm very curious but, for various reasons, hesitant to ask him about it. Can anyone identify it? A reverse Google image search revealed nothing. If it helps, this is in the far northern suburbs of Chicago and said neighbor is an immigrant from some Eastern European country.
posted by DrGail at 5:04 PM PST - 13 comments

I work for an agency that assists adults with developmental disabilities. Some of our clients will threaten suicide on occasion. [more inside]
posted by jcworth at 5:04 PM PST - 9 comments

I became a U.S. citizen as a child and recently applied for a U.S. passport. The accepting agency required I submit my original citizenship papers to them as well a my birth certificate from my country of origin, and some other documentation about how I came to live in the US. I'm moving within the U.S. in a couple of weeks. I realize I won't be able to get a new driver's license in the state I'm moving to until I get my original documents back (I verified with the new state they will require my citizenship papers to transfer my license). [more inside]
posted by floam7 at 4:37 PM PST - 7 comments

I am planning to move to Germany with my fiancee, who is an EU citizen but not from Germany but she speaks German fluently. I am an accountant and I have around 8 years experience, but my title is still staff accountant, and I have no CPA. However, I do have a Masters in Accounting. I also do not currently speak German, but I have a strong interest to learn it since I like languages. I just want to know what the job market in Germany will be like for me with the credentials I listed above. Will I have a difficult time finding a job?
posted by Tuxtax at 3:42 PM PST - 4 comments

I found a candida supplement which works wonders for my adult acne, but is only really effective if I take it in more than the recommended daily dose. What are the risks? Also, which of the many ingredients is/are likely to be having this effect? [more inside]
posted by zeri at 3:17 PM PST - 4 comments

i have a really great idea, that's relevant for today's times. It's very simple... & although it's not a "new" idea, it's something that can be manufactured in the US & marketed for a specific use that can be applied in the kitchen, bathroom & even BBQ! Do i need to get a patent or trademark to protect this? Then, can i start discussing with manufactures about what i need & how cheap they can make it? Who/where do i go for the individual packaging? Time is of the essence & I'm confident that this is something there is a significant demand for... [more inside]
posted by foodybat at 2:25 PM PST - 10 comments

Are there any available tools that analyze written content to measure the political leaning of the writing? For general example, analyzing an op-ed and placing it on a spectrum of very conservative - conservative - middle - liberal - very liberal?
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 1:38 PM PST - 9 comments

Specifically regarding water bath canning: I grow three Concord grape vines and they are pretty generous. Last year I had maybe a dozen half pints of jelly to can. I've only eaten half a dozen peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in my entire adult life. Ideas for something....else? [more inside]
posted by A Terrible Llama at 1:17 PM PST - 29 comments

So my new bike has tubeless ready tires, what should I be taking with me when I go for a ride to deal with flats or minor mishaps? [more inside]
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 1:13 PM PST - 11 comments

I've long been interested in the horror genre, but there are tons of novels and short stories out there and most of them, in my experience, are terribly written. I'm looking for websites, podcasts, newspaper reviewers, etc that will provide me with recommendations and discussions about horror fiction with an eye towards well-written, interesting stuff that's on the literary side of the spectrum. [more inside]
posted by whir at 1:05 PM PST - 13 comments

For years, I have lived in the Eddie Bauer Women's Favorite Short Sleeve V-Neck T-shirt. It would be perfect if the armscye were larger. Can you help me find a t-shirt just like this one with a larger armscye? [more inside]
posted by jesourie at 12:44 PM PST - 12 comments

What is the best way to delete my Facebook account so that they have the least amount of information in their databases about me? Ideally none. [more inside]
posted by aniola at 12:11 PM PST - 6 comments

We are planning to relocate to Northern CA towards the end of the year. While I realize most everything in the Bay Area is still locked down and traffic might not be a significant issue, I am trying to ascertain commute times between locations, with my boyfriend working in Palo Alto and my own work in Cupertino. [more inside]
posted by Everydayville at 11:59 AM PST - 9 comments

Hi - my son will be turning eight years old in August. He really wants to make short videos (I'd say around 5-10 minutes in duration). I'm looking for recommendations for video cameras for him. [more inside]
posted by JenMarie at 11:15 AM PST - 6 comments

i'm not even sure how to word this but does Photoshop or some other image editor have a concept of objects? on windows... right now i used a program called bluebeam to approximate what i want but what I am looking for is approximately: a photo editor that lets you work with an object after you create it. so i draw a rectangle then 10 minutes and 50 edits later i realized i want to change the color of that rectangle or resize it. i DONT want to use a stretch tool or recolor, i want to grab little grips on the side of the rectangle and then drag it to the new size or somehow edit its properties (or god forbid change text i added). paint.net and paint 3D both assume once you are done with that thing that is now PERMANENTLY part of that layer and you can never revise the element. the key challenge of why I am doing this in a photo editor is i need a pixel accurate canvas size and objects need to be pixel accurate so bluebeam (or haha using word or ppt which both get me appx there) fail at the pixel accurate canvas size with an image file output...
posted by chasles at 10:41 AM PST - 14 comments

We have a week off in early August and are in Chicago. What are some good, toddler-friendly, social distancing-friendly things to do? [more inside]
posted by huskerdont at 10:16 AM PST - 7 comments

Is there a way to make this work? I am WFH until September and renovations which are expected to last 6-8 weeks recently started in the vacant apartment right next door to me (NYC). [more inside]
posted by lovelygirl at 8:58 AM PST - 17 comments

Looking for song recommendations about anxiety. [more inside]
posted by creiszhanson at 8:53 AM PST - 48 comments

I'm looking for a notepad with a single vertical middle line. I've found this and this on Amazon, but on each the right side is blank. Is this something which just doesn't exist/ maybe I have to print my own?
posted by my log does not judge at 8:44 AM PST - 4 comments

I have to use IE 11 for work. I need to change some passwords, but when I click on the Manage Passwords button in the AutoComplete section from the Internet Options menu, nothing happens. No menu pops up, no error message, just nothing. Please someone tell me how to fix this?
posted by toastyk at 8:09 AM PST - 4 comments

I am taking a series of high stakes professional tests over the next six months and I need help managing my anxiety both as I study and during the tests themselves. How can I deal with these nerves? I need to stay calm, focused, and confident both as I study day-to-day over the next six months AND on test day. [more inside]
posted by rue72 at 8:09 AM PST - 13 comments

I'm looking for locations in Massachusetts (I'm in Metrowest) with a good view to the Northwest and reasonably dark skies. [more inside]
posted by rhamphorhynchus at 7:31 AM PST - 6 comments

I have been having escalating, weird symptoms over a long period of time, starting around the beginning of April. Specifics inside, but I cannot seem to get heard and I don't know what else to say so that I can actually get some fucking help here. I am looking for better ways to speak, actual literal words to say, ideas for suggesting next steps, that sort of thing to try to move this along with my physician. Very much long detail inside so you can understand what I'm worried about in order to make better suggestions, I hope. [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 6:55 AM PST - 24 comments

I left home on Friday morning with two unripe mangoes on my counter. I came back Monday morning to discover one of them looking like this: sad mango. Both mangoes are still unripe but on their way. Is it worth trying to save the non-black part of the mango, or should I just toss it?
posted by ocherdraco at 6:09 AM PST - 5 comments

Does anyone know what it means or can point me to the song or to a way to improve my search? This phrase is in what I've been told is one of the oldest known Jamaican folk songs. I've not been able to find mention anywhere online of either phrase or song. I Googled, did a word search through Jekyll's Jamaican Song & Story, checked youtube, listened to folk compilations, checked google translate for Yoruba, Hausa, Akan (and Twi) and Swahili looking for a possible origin word. Google doesn't even know the word in either version. [more inside]
posted by glasseyes at 4:45 AM PST - 7 comments

Hello, a family member of mine died this weekend, who I believe named another family member in their will. I'd like to know if there is any possibility of the executor or anyone else interfering with my family member who is due to inherit, or if it is straightforward and difficult to manipulate. If it's the former, I would like to know what I could do to make sure that the will is executed according to the deceased family member's wishes. [more inside]
posted by stinker at 12:31 AM PST - 6 comments

I’m in need of a graphic design program for Windows 10 for my business for creating advertisements, signs, etc. [more inside]
posted by nickthetourist at 10:07 PM PST - 6 comments

Last year I started running, but had to stop after 3 months due to pain along the circumference of my right kneecap. I recently started again, and after a week and a half the same pain reappeared. What do I need to do to keep my knees healthy and continue running? [more inside]
posted by Sock, Sock, Sock, Sock, Sock, Goose! at 9:42 PM PST - 15 comments

Since the start of the coronavirus shutdown, I've been riding an exercise bike regularly. I hate it, but I hate it less when I'm watching something riveting on my iPad. So I'm looking for gripping movies or TV shows that will hold my attention throughout the entire episode or movie. [more inside]
posted by alex1965 at 6:57 PM PST - 47 comments

I'm trying to read this website, but the grey-text-on-black-background is giving me massive eyestrain (all "night mode" websites hurt my eyes). What I'm looking for is the opposite of Night Mode, I guess - I want black text on a white background. I'm betting the answer is a Chrome extension, but I can't seem to find one. [more inside]
posted by Mogur at 4:38 PM PST - 10 comments

Can we cool the entire back yard so we don't go Corona-crazy? [more inside]
posted by raisingsand at 4:27 PM PST - 19 comments

I'm feeling a bit odd about a series of interactions with a restaurant employee, and would like advice on how to proceed. [more inside]
posted by thoughtful_analyst at 4:21 PM PST - 17 comments

My TV's ability to switch inputs is...fragile. Is this a thing? [more inside]
posted by pdb at 3:42 PM PST - 8 comments

Mr. Arnicae and I use gchat to share cat videos but also occasionally for time sensitive quesitons like "What kind of pasta do you want" and "please call the plumber, water is geysering through the ceiling". Is there any way to make our phones emit a different sounding alert in gchat (or something other android app) to indicate to the recipient a response is time sensitive? I'm imagining something along the lines of a doorbell chime or something. Phone calls are not an option for snowflake-reasons.
posted by arnicae at 3:31 PM PST - 5 comments

What are some aesthetic qualities that make shooting on VHS different from other formats? [more inside]
posted by pxe2000 at 3:27 PM PST - 14 comments

If you had five years to come up with a money-making scheme, how would you spend that time? [more inside]
posted by sureshot at 2:20 PM PST - 23 comments

What is the cost of baseball stadium lights for the owners? [more inside]
posted by ragtimepiano at 1:42 PM PST - 10 comments

How to be more effective with a summer student? [more inside]
posted by Chaussette and the Pussy Cats at 1:22 PM PST - 15 comments

Can you direct me to information about buying residential or commercial property in British Columbia for US citizens that is up to date? I know that the laws about that have changed recently because of a real estate bubble caused by foreign investment, and most information I've found online is dated.
posted by bq at 12:32 PM PST - 3 comments

TomboyX makes masc-style underwear for people with AFAB-type bodies — but their stuff doesn't fit my partner, who finds it either too tight in the hips or too loose in the waist. Is there similarly masc-coded underwear for people with bigger hip–waist ratios?
posted by nebulawindphone at 12:01 PM PST - 6 comments

How do I explain a career move that doesn't seem in line with what most people's expectations of what a career move should look like? [more inside]
posted by unicorn chaser at 11:48 AM PST - 13 comments

How many people will die because of conditions that are aggravated because they don't, won't or can't make appointments for office visits to their primary care physician and don't get short term in patient procedures or out patient procedures? [more inside]
posted by CollectiveMind at 11:00 AM PST - 7 comments

I have a newborn at home, just a few weeks old, and I fear I've already messed up by hanging out on the couch too much, breastfeeding and holding him to sleep. This is because he will sometimes get startled by the microwave, fridge door, other noises etc that my mom and husband make. [more inside]
posted by Forty-eight at 10:33 AM PST - 24 comments

There are 20mm long ridged worms/larvae, off-white bodies with a black spot at one end, hanging from longish invisible threads from my kitchen ceiling. [more inside]
posted by signal at 9:52 AM PST - 9 comments

I am on year 16 of a 20-year mortgage. My interest rate is 3.0%. I have an offer for a 15-year mortgage at 2.25%. If I refinanced my remaining mortgage balance, my monthly payment would remain the same. But because the rate is lower, each payment would be more principal than currently. [more inside]
posted by jefficator at 9:40 AM PST - 13 comments

I (29) am trying to heal from partner's affair and he still does not take responsibility for big or small wrongdoings. He goes to therapy and tries to make it work, he has made a progress from the a.hole he has previously been. Meanwhile I ask myself whether relationships in general are worth it. [more inside]
posted by Salicornia at 8:52 AM PST - 17 comments

Cutting the lawn is annoying, time consuming and doesn't really do anything except sit there and look pretty. I'd like to turn the front lawn into into something like a meadow, with non-edible plants and flowers that stay year round. I'm clueless how to do this, other than presumably ripping up the grass and just planting...stuff. Is there a term for this, something to google for tips? Pointers? The end goal is something that I don't ever have to mow, though obviously there will be pruning and trimming.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 8:39 AM PST - 24 comments

Last night, me and my partner ventured to a bar (all social distanced and sat outside!) and while we were walking home, I made a comment about how we drink quite a bit when we're together and maybe we should try having fun without alcohol, in the prospect of getting healthy / in shape. He responded by saying he felt like he had no hobbies, and when I'm not staying at his flat, he gets really lonely. What should I do? [more inside]
posted by Lewnatic at 8:18 AM PST - 20 comments

I have had new, unexplained lightheadedness and dizziness for the past week, to the point where I fell and sprained part of my hand. My primary care doctor hasn't been refilling my prescriptions or answering the phone since the pandemic started. It looks like they're now doing telehealth, but when I try to call them, I get a busy signal. I've tried calling other doctors' offices, but none are taking new patients due to coronavirus. How can I get care? Are there magic words I need to be using?
posted by marfa, texas at 8:13 AM PST - 11 comments

Partner and I would like to do more cycling near where we live, but not so near that we can safely or comfortably cycle from our house to these destinations. Our current bikes don't fit in the car. For roughly the same money, I could either make changes to the car or buy a pair of lower-end folding bikes, but I'm having trouble figuring out which is the better option. [more inside]
posted by terretu at 8:01 AM PST - 16 comments

I am lucky to have a little private deck, and I want to be sure that I’ll be able to use it as long as possible this winter. What’s my best option for an outdoor heater? [more inside]
posted by veery at 7:43 AM PST - 8 comments

I have speakers etc lying around from previous audio purchases and instead of buying a new set, I am thinking of reusing them. I am not an audiophile, what I want is nice sounding speakers with some base. I am thinking of buying a cheap bluetooth compatible speaker and linking existing speakers and subwoofer to it and it will help me if I can buy something that works. [more inside]
posted by london302 at 5:14 AM PST - 14 comments

Slightly worrying development with my tumblr account today - apparently it has been 'terminated' with no warning or indication why. All of my tumblrs have vanished (including one which I have been putting together for over ten years) and I can no longer log in to my account. Aside from emailing their automated contact form, what are my options to try and get it back?
posted by srednivashtar at 4:52 AM PST - 4 comments

I have a six year old iPad. Recently it is hot to the touch even when it is essentially idle (shut down, allowed to cool, restarted but no apps opened). Does this mean that the battery is starting to fail, or could there be some other cause?
posted by Grinder at 4:41 AM PST - 13 comments

I'm having a hard time finding what I'm looking for and hoping someone can recommend a solution. Our doorbell recently stopped working and we'd like to get a new one. I am looking for a doorbell that does not have video, but will connect to our Google Home devices and ring a chime through it. I'm in Canada, so I'm looking for something that's available to purchase here (preferably through Amazon or some other online retailer). Thanks!
posted by NoneOfTheAbove at 7:54 PM PST - 1 comment

I am living with someone who is becoming increasingly, needlessly nitpicky and critical of me. I do not have the choice to leave until September. How do I get through the next few months without it wrecking my mental health? [more inside]
posted by Amy93 at 6:53 PM PST - 51 comments

I'm looking for a lap blanket for my home office to keep me warm on cold mornings. [more inside]
posted by whitelotus at 6:49 PM PST - 12 comments

First two angel food cakes turned out wonderfully. Last three attempts have turned into pretty gross sugared egg goop - egg whites didn't whip all the way up and turned back into liquid. Why? [more inside]
posted by amtho at 6:33 PM PST - 8 comments

An acquaintance is arguing that the Roger Stone investigation was illegitimate because it made use of the Steele dossier, which is "illegal" evidence (i.e. paid for by Democrats). Even though the investigation began long before that, he says that the dossier "taints" the investigation. He's a cop and claims to know the law, but I'm not so sure. [more inside]
posted by Ain at 5:19 PM PST - 10 comments

In one of those interpersonal dynamics that makes me question my sanity, would love feedback. This is about work as a member of a political group. [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 5:06 PM PST - 6 comments

Help me figure out what to do with or for the adorable stray kitten who I found suffering in the heat in my garden yesterday. Difficulty level: existing 10 yr old indoor cat w/o all her shots, smallish house, kitten likely separated at ~4 weeks from a colony of alley cats and doesn't seem to be weaned. [more inside]
posted by snuffleupagus at 3:54 PM PST - 25 comments

Identify this classical music melody fragment [more inside]
posted by queen anne's remorse at 3:13 PM PST - 2 comments

Kitten has reddish brown spots on nose, Google has been fruitless, what are they? [more inside]
posted by phoenixy at 2:56 PM PST - 7 comments

Was there a fundamental difference in mortality or illness or other such thing between the slave border states and the "Deep South"? [more inside]
posted by Hactar at 2:48 PM PST - 5 comments

My elderly uncle is and will be in hospital for the foreseeable future, and does not currently have a phone because of severe Parkinson-like tremors--he can't hold a handset/smartphone or press buttons/operate a touch screen. Because of COVID rules, my aunt can't visit him, so between that and no way to make phone calls, he is very isolated. I would like to help my aunt set up a smartphone for him that he can operate solely by voice control. [more inside]
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 2:02 PM PST - 11 comments

My retired friend in the Chicago area is bored at home and looking for a productive, meaningful part-time work or volunteer opportunities. Any ideas? [more inside]
posted by crookedneighbor at 1:52 PM PST - 6 comments

My wife (the handy person in our family) was going to try to install a new ceiling fan yesterday but we quickly ran into trouble with the mounting bracket seemingly not fitting into the old space. Is the new fan incompatible or are we doing something wrong? Pics included. [more inside]
posted by indyjones at 1:41 PM PST - 5 comments

We had central AC added last summer. It sucks. I am trying to understand if our expectations are reasonable, and what next steps (if any) might be to improve the cooling of our home. [more inside]
posted by walkinginsunshine at 1:08 PM PST - 14 comments

TurboTax and the official US Tax Tables and instructions from the 1040 are giving me two different numbers from the same adjusted gross income number. What gives? [more inside]
posted by slow graffiti at 11:53 AM PST - 3 comments

I just picked up an Onyx Boox Nova 2, mostly because I wanted something lightweight to travel with that I could also hook my bluetooth keyboard up to for writing. Main uses for the tablet are reading and writing. How should I maximize those activities and what other suggestions do you have to get the most out of it? Graphic novels? Manga? [more inside]
posted by dobbs at 10:51 AM PST - 5 comments

I've been doing some of the Cracking the Cryptic puzzles in the web app on my iPhone Xs (example). When doing them over an extended period of time in Safari or Chrome occasionally the page will be forced to refresh and I lose all my progress. How can I prevent this? [more inside]
posted by unus sum at 10:50 AM PST - 2 comments

If you gave a lion a clam, would the lion attempt to eat it? Would they be able to eat it? Would they like it? Assume that the clam is still in the shell. [more inside]
posted by brainwane at 10:50 AM PST - 9 comments

How much should we care about the school system when buying a home while pregnant? [more inside]
posted by gillianr at 9:23 AM PST - 23 comments

I have an envelope full of covid in the flower bed. Maybe? [more inside]
posted by joycehealy at 9:06 AM PST - 11 comments

I have a 15 yr old daughter who is bright, curious and bored during the social isolation. Am searching for an online tutor/guide for a small group of 14/15/16 year olds to show them amazing not so academic things. [more inside]
posted by lapsang at 5:24 AM PST - 5 comments

My friend lives in Singapore and her refrigerator is about to go. The tech to fix it says he can't get there for a week. Which means she'll have to throw out all these meats, fish and other perishables. OR WILL SHE? What kinds of foods - jarred, jerky, kimchee - can she make with her foodstuffs that will keep in the locally high heat and high humidity.
posted by rileyray3000 at 4:21 AM PST - 8 comments

Unfortunately a rat seems to have died in our roof cavity or wall. How can we manage the smell? Is this any kind of health risk to me, my partner and our newborn? [more inside]
posted by kinddieserzeit at 1:41 AM PST - 7 comments

I have intermittent tingling, fiery pain, numbness, and bothersome muscle aches in my left front thigh, right above my knee to mid-thigh, and sometimes in my left foot. (it goes to sleep while I'm biking). It could be so many things - help me figure out who to see/consult with next? [more inside]
posted by sockpuppetryarts at 1:08 AM PST - 7 comments

My partner is trans, need help thinking about fertility options. [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 11:37 PM PST - 12 comments

Today I pruned a couple of the large rosemary bushes in our yard, and now I have about 2/3s of a brown grocery bag full of 2-3 inch long rosemary sprigs. I'm planning on hanging a bunch of it to dry, in brown bags in our basement. My question is, should I wash the springs before hanging them? [more inside]
posted by genehack at 10:16 PM PST - 5 comments

I want to be able to use our deck without sweeping inches of cotton off of it every day and having it clog up the screens on the porch. Have you used any common (or uncommon) remedies to eliminate the production of cotton from a Cottonwood tree? [more inside]
posted by SquidLips at 9:13 PM PST - 1 comment

Was watching "Underground USA #3" on exptv.org (focusing on late 70's/early 80's underground music/clips from such folks as Da, Minutemen, and Crime), and about 13 minutes in there was a video featuring a catchy post-punkish tune featuring a succession of folks posing in front of a single stationary camera. Unfortunately exptv doesn't include the names of the bands/songs in the clips, so I'm wondering if anyone else who saw the show knew the name of the band and the song being played.
posted by gtrwolf at 8:36 PM PST - 9 comments

I lead an activist group. (The name is in my profile.) A twenty-something guy is interested in handling our social media, which has been nearly nil for about a year. For now, this would be Facebook, but possibly more later. He asked for guidelines, and I'm not sure what to tell him. Do you have any advice? He is already active on Facebook.
posted by NotLost at 8:05 PM PST - 9 comments

The older of my two rescues (the blind one on the right) is in the early stages of kidney decline. I'm trying to sort through the best food choices I can make for him. [more inside]
posted by frumiousb at 7:41 PM PST - 5 comments

Best vegan nacho cheese recipe? [more inside]
posted by oflinkey at 7:39 PM PST - 7 comments

I had a program over 20 years ago which let you choose different colors of noise, oscillation speeds?, and a bunch of "wave pattern" visualizations. Help me find it or something very like it? Mac compatible preferred, but I'll figure it out if that's impossible. [more inside]
posted by zinful at 3:36 PM PST - 8 comments

Car front wheels shake while jacked up and engine idling. Why? [more inside]
posted by lothar at 2:56 PM PST - 11 comments

I was just informed I'd be transferred (certainly better than being canned) because of some evaluations on me that my supervisor (a kind, neutral, and supportive person) had received. [more inside]
posted by Rumi'sLeftSock at 2:51 PM PST - 6 comments

Looking for a journaling/self-help guide for my partner, something that maybe gives journaling prompts or ideas for men to "get to know themselves better." [more inside]
posted by Autumn Willow at 1:56 PM PST - 9 comments

A company ships a product. Hidden deep in supporting material for the product is a link to a functioning forum. Company ships game, time passes, everyone kind of forgets about game but the forum keeps ticking along. Years later, someone involved with the initial game discovers that the forum has hosted a robust (rp'ing?) community for many years. [more inside]
posted by jeb at 1:34 PM PST - 4 comments

The comments in this post made me realise that I know very little about the extent of the oceanic explorations made by Polynesians across the pacific. I'm looking for book recommendations (preferably non-fiction, but fiction is also ok). Academic accounts are also fine but must be readable to a non specialist. The only one I've read is The Last Navigator by Steve Thomas
posted by dhruva at 1:32 PM PST - 11 comments

I'm getting a breast augmentation next week. My surgeon suggested that the surgical bra provided by the hospital isn't the most comfortable, and that there are better options out there. What are they? As a bonus, would love recommendations for cute, comfy, tops that zip/button/tie in the front while I recover at home!
posted by kylej at 1:22 PM PST - 8 comments

During the pandemic, my sister and I have been mailing little packages to each other. Her birthday is at the end of August and I'm trying to make it especially nice. Since shipping can be quite delayed, I'm looking around now. What are your favorite online shops for special well-crafted items? Or if you have specific item recommendations, I'd take those too! [more inside]
posted by pdxhiker at 1:16 PM PST - 9 comments

Hi y'all- My father in law is turning 75 and we're trying to create a website where well wishers can post some reminisce, add a photo and see it displayed in a, well, wall. Yes, we're trying to recreate Facebook. Details inside. [more inside]
posted by GilloD at 12:44 PM PST - 4 comments

My parents want to drive to Idaho for vacation next week, but they don't know where to stay and what to do once they get there. Tips? [more inside]
posted by Triumphant Muzak at 12:32 PM PST - 15 comments

How are you, a parent, keeping the spark going in your relationship during the pandemic? [more inside]
posted by robertthebruce at 11:54 AM PST - 14 comments

A couple guides to taking blood pressure at home say your elbow should be at the same height as your heart (one specifically said right atrium as if I know exactly where mine is but that's beside the point). But in the doctor's office they just flop your arm down on the table regardless of how tall the table is compared to you. So which is it — arm position really matters, or barely matters? [more inside]
posted by Tehhund at 10:58 AM PST - 5 comments

I bought myself 8 pounds of marionberries to jam. I've jammed a few other berries before like strawberries and raspberries, but I've avoided the blackberry varieties because of the seeds, etc. Should I run these through my food mill first, or just jam as is? [more inside]
posted by Mister Fabulous at 10:52 AM PST - 7 comments

What is a good but inexpensive Android phone I can buy to use just for apps & stuff? Phone line capabilities not needed, as it'll be used on wi-fi. It can be a refurbished phone as long as it's able to be purchased from someplace reputable.
posted by cashman at 10:46 AM PST - 9 comments

I'm writing a piece that takes place in a small village in 18th century rural France. My research has hit a bit of a wall in finding resources that give me a sense of what the day-to-day relationship with the church would be for a villager of the time, and specifically what a wedding of the time might look like for a lower-class individual. Open to earlier time periods, other European countries, and tangential perspectives! [more inside]
posted by gregoryg at 10:12 AM PST - 4 comments

The Guardian reported about a podcast with Jo Jorgensen, interviewed by boogaloo boys, and other groups generally considered to be far right. I can't find this podcast, and because a niece of mine is invested in Libertarianism I want to hear it. I have tried to find this, but cannot. [more inside]
posted by Oyéah at 10:02 AM PST - 5 comments

My wife, an extrovert, is going stir crazy while home with our four week old son. She is looking for social gatherings with other new mothers, preferably in person in the Twin Cities. [more inside]
posted by Kwine at 9:45 AM PST - 6 comments

I filed a claim with my health insurance for reimbursement for a $2500 facility fee paid out-of-pocket for a pre-approved procedure. After many iterations with customer support, their current (last?) requirement is that a representative from the facility must call them to provide a location code. Trouble is -- a representative already has. [more inside]
posted by AteYourLembas at 9:16 AM PST - 2 comments

My husband needs some new shorts but he has specific requirements. [more inside]
posted by something something at 9:02 AM PST - 7 comments

9 year old is constantly correcting her family. 6 year old sister is very frustrated about it. Help me tone this down to something we can all live with. [more inside]
posted by Omnomnom at 8:46 AM PST - 35 comments

I’m getting divorced and need to get a large chunk of cash to my wife. I’d like to do this with a QDRO from my 401k to hers, but I know a judge needs to order that. Is it a given that they will if we both agree? Can I write it into the settlement agreement? I know I will eventually need a lawyer and that you are not my lawyer but would like to plan ahead. Thank you!
posted by ftm at 8:43 AM PST - 3 comments

We have gravel in our parking area which is about 5" lower than our driveway. When we pull the car from the parking area onto the driveway, gravel rolls onto the concrete and then scratch the concrete. This would be no big deal but it makes annoying noises when it does this which annoy my otherwise very nice neighbors. Is there anyway to make it stop?
posted by arnicae at 8:13 AM PST - 5 comments

Help me identify this (maybe) young adult fiction/fantasy (maybe??) book set in the Middle East. [more inside]
posted by socky bottoms at 7:41 AM PST - 8 comments

I have a milestone birthday coming up. Due to lockdown restrictions in my city, my original plans are no longer an option. What should I do to celebrate instead? [more inside]
posted by goodnight at 6:51 AM PST - 14 comments

When I started registering the Zwift app, it very clearly stated it will share my name, location, age, gender, weight, height, and heartrate with other users riding the same virtual course. If you use Zwift, is there a way to opt out of this, other than lying? [more inside]
posted by JawnBigboote at 6:37 AM PST - 5 comments

I'm a multiracial, queer, cisgender, single, female American with a tenure-track teaching position in English composition at a community college. While I love my job, I need to leave the U.S. as it has become a shithole country under Drump. [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 4:38 AM PST - 6 comments

My kid sees a therapist for anxiety. I'm curious about the approach that the therapist seems to be taking (from my vantage point) and wonder what its roots are. [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 4:37 AM PST - 5 comments

I'm in New Zealand. I have a 2008 Scion xB in Massachusetts, parked there since late September 2019. I found out recently that the person who promised to occasionally start and drive the car never did. The car got jumped, but won't stay running, and has been towed to a mechanic. What is likely the problem, and how do I minimize the chances of getting bled by a mechanic I don't know? [more inside]
posted by under_petticoat_rule at 11:09 PM PST - 14 comments

What are some horror movies made after c. 1980 that have the same feel and atmosphere as the classic Universal Monsters films or Val Lewton's movies? [more inside]
posted by ryanshepard at 10:24 PM PST - 12 comments

Welcome to my nightmare. There are dozens of tiny spiders (and a few full sized ones) that have appeared right near a ceiling vent for the central air system in my bedroom, very near my bed. How do I treat this without poisoning myself? [more inside]
posted by seemoorglass at 9:53 PM PST - 7 comments

Does anyone know of an add on for Zoom that will let you show your face and a document in the same window? [more inside]
posted by eleanna at 9:14 PM PST - 10 comments

I am looking for women's lounge/yoga/sweat pants with a loose waist that aren't full-on pajamas. [more inside]
posted by skycrashesdown at 7:54 PM PST - 10 comments

I have a MIM Telecaster with a modern bridge. When I play the low E string around the 12th fret I hear two tones, slightly out of tune with each other. [more inside]
posted by signal at 7:19 PM PST - 8 comments

My landlady's 17" Macbook Pro is finally dying a slow death and she wants help getting a new computer. She is 96, only uses Gmail and maybe reads or watches online news, and occasionally prints things from email. I think a Chromebook is a good bet, but which one? A few other requirements below. [more inside]
posted by jessamyn at 6:00 PM PST - 10 comments

I have dandruff. I would finally like to make at least a low effort at mamaging. What has been your experience with dandruff shampoos? I have medium long, curly, black person hair.
posted by Aranquis at 6:00 PM PST - 18 comments

My workplace uses the Microsoft Office suite, including MyAnalytics, which provides insights into your productivity and focus. It tells me some mildly interesting things, but the only two things I actually really want to know from it are - 1) How many hours a day, week and month do I spend working? And 2) at what times of day, on average? [more inside]
posted by Weng at 5:08 PM PST - 4 comments

Discovering the Catskills. I am looking for trails moderate +. I do not like crowds. Just a decent climb, or hike, without a lot of people. Do you know of any that fit this bill? If I see a bunch of cars at a trailhead I keep on driving. (PS a swimming hole is a plus) If you don't want to make it public, MeMail me. (Added plus - a good meal, outside)
posted by ebesan at 3:45 PM PST - 9 comments

Does the national electrical code permit multiple 30A outlets on one 30A 220V circuit? [more inside]
posted by Wembly at 3:38 PM PST - 6 comments

I am selling my 2008 Toyota 4Runner. The bumper is scratched and a little cracked. A random person from Craigslist has contacted me offering to sell me a used-but-good-condition 2006 4Runner bumper in my same paint color for $250 plus my bumper. Is this a good deal? [more inside]
posted by cnidaria at 3:31 PM PST - 5 comments

Pedagogy for many decades has emphasized active learning, using lots of teaching aids, hands-on tools, and art materials to undertake projects and complete labs in a highly social environment that often involves small groups of students close together. It seems difficult to accomplish anything comparable with everyone 6-feet apart and wearing masks. What kind of active learning can reasonably happen in the era of COVID-19? Have any good guidelines been published yet? I am very unclear about what the in-person classroom experience will and should be like this year.
posted by mortaddams at 1:58 PM PST - 8 comments

There's a specific 4 note background electric strings riff in the Hamilton song "Right Hand Man" that starts up right after the "Boom" section (at around 2:20 and continues in variation through 2:45) that's maddeningly familiar! Where might I have heard it before? [more inside]
posted by Calicatt at 1:36 PM PST - 10 comments

Looking for movie theater lobby music CDs from the late 90's. [more inside]
posted by JennyJupiter at 1:11 PM PST - 3 comments

So I've just come from an awkward vet appointment (we weren't allowed to go in ourselves because of COVID), and learned that our three-year old cat has severe gingivitis. They are going to give us a quote on doing a dental scaling via anesthetic. It's going to be so, so expensive. Can we possibly deal with this ourselves? Are there other treatment options? [more inside]
posted by kitcat at 12:35 PM PST - 17 comments

YANML. We have been asked to sign legal papers regarding the shared private road access to our property. Strange shenanigans have ensued. Details after the jump. [more inside]
posted by WalkerWestridge at 11:35 AM PST - 32 comments

For the Seattle Public Library's book bingo, I need to read a book by a trans on non-binary author. Because of *gestures widely* I have the attention span of a flea and the book needs to be in English, fiction, entertaining, and a page-turner, and ideally have some humor. I like mysteries and don't like reading about children in peril or people making bad decisions. Suggestions? [more inside]
posted by The corpse in the library at 10:33 AM PST - 37 comments

I'm going to be participating in an event involving multiple groups of moving people, and we'd like to put up a public webpage showing the realtime location of all of these groups at once. [more inside]
posted by Reclusive Novelist Thomas Pynchon at 9:49 AM PST - 5 comments

Do you have any anecdotes or sources about climate change in the Netherlands, how the country is addressing it, and how people think about it or cope with it? [more inside]
posted by taltalim at 9:28 AM PST - 8 comments

What can I be doing now to ensure that I can stay warm, sane, and active this winter if things are about the same in the USA? Help me throw money at my desire to stay warm and (as) happy (as possible) being outside this winter. [more inside]
posted by kinsey at 9:01 AM PST - 34 comments

I'm starting to read more books about the American West, and would like to find some that are specifically by and about Native peoples. Fiction, non-fiction, historical or modern are all welcome! [more inside]
posted by kalimac at 8:43 AM PST - 18 comments

Has anyone sampled any of the online improv classes out there? What would you recommend? Is there anyone doing something that's more than just improv grafted onto Zoom?
posted by storybored at 8:39 AM PST - 3 comments

If a person has a Facebook account and then creates a secondary Facebook Page, what are the Facebook rules for how they can respond on Facebook pages or accounts? Example inside! [more inside]
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 8:31 AM PST - 3 comments

Spy Magazine once posted a table showing number of deaths associated with the production of various consumer products. Like one (human) death per million UPS deliveries, or hundred-thousand pounds of meat butchered, etc., so that any individual could see what fraction of a human life their own consumption was responsible for ending. But I can't find it. Anyone? [more inside]
posted by maddalo at 8:24 AM PST - 3 comments

I'm trying to harvest email addresses from a folder of emails. Is there an easy way? [more inside]
posted by lpsguy at 8:12 AM PST - 9 comments

I bought a 2016 Honda Fit last October and have yet to change the oil--I typically drive once a week and have put less than a thousand miles on the car. I'd say the majority of that mileage is highway driving as I don't drive much locally. My oil life estimate is 90%. This makes me nervous. I know I can just go change the oil, but do I need to? [more inside]
posted by Automocar at 7:57 AM PST - 17 comments

This should be very famous but I can't remember it. There's an old clip where the magician tells a young person to pay attention to the piece of like towel paper in his hand. And the entire trick is about how the magician just throws the pieces of paper towel away behind the recipient, for all of the actual audience to see. So for the audience there is no trick, it's just this guy throwing pieces of paper around and manipulating the attention of the person on stage. It's very famous? But can someone remember the magician and/or the link?
posted by Pyrogenesis at 6:32 AM PST - 5 comments

Is there a name for people in general being quicker and more willing to accept (and disseminate) contrary information, but slow to accept boring old proven facts? It seems like this happens most often in health subjects. [more inside]
posted by FakeFreyja at 6:11 AM PST - 9 comments

My partner wears a health-tracking Bellabeat 'Leaf' necklace (link within). She relies on it to track her daily routine (steps, her sleep patterns etc.), and also - crucially - her menstrual cycle. It's a few years old now. Are there any exciting alternatives? Simple, aesthetically pleasing wellness 'wearables' gift advice wanted. [more inside]
posted by 0bvious at 5:45 AM PST - 2 comments

Please help me diagnose the problem with my washing machine. One of the hoses is making a constant drainage noise, even though the machine hasn't been used in ~12 hours. Here's a video. Specifically: (a) how urgently does it need to be addressed (trying to balance COVID risk), (b) can I fix it myself (I am not very handy, but if I can do it with an IKEA fixa toolset, then I could take a stab at it) and (c) is it something that can be fixed or does the machine need to be replaced?
posted by rjacobs at 4:44 AM PST - 6 comments

I'm trying to understand how this exactly works but I don't get it. According to this figure every SNP gets one bead in the array, the DNA hybridizes with it and you get a red signal if it's AA, yellow AB and green if it's BB. But how do they assign the correct Nucleotide? If the two oligos on the bead end in G and T, you can distinguish CC, AA, AC. But if there is no signal for that bead, it can be either G ,T or GT? What am I missing, I have a feeling it's quite obvious... Paper is here.
posted by SweetLiesOfBokonon at 1:47 AM PST - 4 comments

My brother did not have any alerts on his credit card. Last week someone accessed his Amazon account, changed the email, ordered a very nice laptop, archived the order to hide it, had UPS change the delivery address, and when it was delivered today changed email back. [more inside]
posted by Sophont at 11:00 PM PST - 10 comments

My ex and I are trying to finish getting divorced. After a year of struggling with a bad lawyer, we have a signed and notarized settlement agreement. Am I correct in thinking we can finish this process by ourselves, instead of paying more money to the aforementioned bad lawyer? [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 10:39 PM PST - 8 comments

Been experiencing a strange hot spot sensation in my lower left abdomen?? [more inside]
posted by sprezzy at 8:53 PM PST - 4 comments

I put these gorgeous T-Trak pendant lights in when I remodeled years ago that of course immediately were discontinued. I was trying to do the green build thing so we put in the fluorescent version, and they've never been anything but problematic, and now only one works. Can these be modified so I can use some sort of more regular bulb style? [more inside]
posted by kitten kaboodle at 8:41 PM PST - 10 comments

I need help figuring out how to input the fun Sunday answers! Spoilers inside. [more inside]
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 6:57 PM PST - 7 comments

What are some fun alternatives to an engagement ring, and even traditional wedding band? [more inside]
posted by DTMFA at 6:49 PM PST - 14 comments

When I was pregnant and/or had infants, BabyCenter's boards were a lifesaver. Now that my kids are older, I'm trying to find a current version for parents of adolescents. Is Reddit a cesspool for this? I'm particularly interested in boards that have a diverse group of users and that are not on Facebook.
posted by tafetta, darling! at 6:21 PM PST - 4 comments

I need to replace my (roomate's) skillet that has peeling nonstick coating, and I don't know what I need. We use this thing at least 3 times a week, and we want something that will last. [more inside]
posted by buildmyworld at 6:12 PM PST - 23 comments

I'm looking for recommendations for affordable but durable and hard working linux-ready ultrabooks and/or tablet convertibles without the "Windows Tax". [more inside]
posted by loquacious at 5:53 PM PST - 12 comments

I need a body cam I can trigger without others noticing. I am unable to get my cell phone out and start recording in time. I will only be using this body cam in situations where it is completely legal. I will not be posting any video to the internet, but I do want the body cam to stream to the cloud (privately) in case it is discovered and ripped off my body. I do not have unlimited funds for this purchase. Does anyone have a recommendation for a body cam that would work in this situation?
posted by KayQuestions at 3:37 PM PST - 6 comments

I took piano lessons as a kid/teen and was playing well enough to be learning challenging classical pieces. It's been a couple of decades since I've played regularly and I want to regain the ability play at that level again. [more inside]
posted by burntflowers at 2:45 PM PST - 6 comments

My research lab is working on providing COVID19 testing; the state, while providing alternative ways to report the results, prefers us to be able to generate HL7 2.5.1 messages. However, HL7 is a deep and complicate subject, and all the examples I can find for COVID health reports are implemented in FHIR. Does anyone have advice on the fastest way to learn what I need to know to do this? I'm hoping to use this Python library, since I program in Python the most.
posted by foxfirefey at 2:40 PM PST - 3 comments

A family member is living in Canada currently and going through a depressive mental breakdown. He tried reaching out for help from a GP, but described the experience as a total failure. What can he and the family do if money isn't much of an object? [more inside]
posted by I claim sanctuary at 2:36 PM PST - 14 comments

Should I hire a licensed Painter or General Contractor to Paint my house? [more inside]
posted by ljs30 at 2:20 PM PST - 9 comments

I have injury-prone feet and legs. I am not the only one. Tell me about obscure widgets, accessories, tools that can protect my feet and legs. [more inside]
posted by fingersandtoes at 1:55 PM PST - 11 comments

A friend is looking for someone in the Boston area who can paint a small plastic model with acrylic paint. He has a very specific custom need, which he believes would be super easy for someone with experience.
posted by alms at 1:54 PM PST - 7 comments

Seeking recommendations for a 2-in-one computer that can handle draw programs like Photoshop and Krita well, or at least well enough for my purposes. [more inside]
posted by Armed Only With Hubris at 1:23 PM PST - 13 comments

Please recommend a reputable accountant in the Philadelphia area.
posted by lazaruslong at 1:16 PM PST - 3 comments

I am planning to sell silk-screened t-shirts on-line. (Think The Gap's "Inspi-red" campaign a while ago) As of now when I go to buy bulk in Los Angeles, the tee's are thick Hanes/Fruitof the Loom grade. Thin cotton is still too stiff. Where can I find thinner versions (P.S. I know very little fashion lingo and don't know what to call this style of tee)
posted by goalyeehah at 1:06 PM PST - 9 comments

There’s a new “non-gambling” skill game called Dragon’s Ascent. It pays money and is popular in bars. It pays money, is there a way to get good at it? How is it legal? I called a distributor to buy it for home but apparently you can’t. Is there a ROM or some emulator to get good at it? [more inside]
posted by geoff. at 12:14 PM PST - 11 comments

In These Challenging Times, my library is thinking of doing some outdoor movie nights. Looking at reviews of projectors is making my head spin. We're thinking of getting a 20 foot inflatable screen, so we need something that works well with that, for a group of, optimistically, 25 people? Halp. Bonus: recommend me a sound system too.
posted by missrachael at 12:08 PM PST - 3 comments

I hate bulky cell phone cases, but I am sick of dropping my iPhone and cracking it. I am looking for a case for someone that hates cases. I want something that is extremely low profile, muted color (black or grey), something that will protect the back and the front while still having good access to the buttons etc. [more inside]
posted by Alvin80 at 11:42 AM PST - 8 comments

I have a childhood memory of a 70s or 80s movie about a modern man in a medieval setting. For years I thought it was Unidentified Flying Oddball, but I finally watched UFO last night, and it was not the same movie! Please help me find this movie, great and powerful MeFi! [more inside]
posted by luvcraft at 11:30 AM PST - 6 comments

Is there anyone out there who just does, like, straight up all text-based therapy? Text message, slack, gchat, really any platform would be fine as long as it's not a fucking phone call or some kind of internet video call.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 11:22 AM PST - 9 comments

My 95-year old grandmother just lost the last remnants of her sight. Between the coronavirus and her general frailty, she's essentially homebound with my aunt and uncle. They have access to standard streaming services (Netflix, Hulu, Disney+) as well as the National Library Service for the Blind, but I just realized that the NT Live youtube releases include DVS and so she can enjoy them. Are there any other arts / theater / performance groups that are releasing more work online during COVID-times that also include DVS? Or any streaming services that offer DVS on many of their shows? [more inside]
posted by athenasbanquet at 11:18 AM PST - 3 comments

It's really expensive and I don't get it. Can't I just get a bone conducting speaker and place it on me? [more inside]
posted by fantasticness at 11:09 AM PST - 4 comments

If you are an IT professional who is facing the real possibility of layoffs due to COVID, what skills or training would you work on? Would preparing to work on a cyber security diploma be a smart move? [more inside]
posted by kitcat at 10:42 AM PST - 6 comments

I'm going through a divorce with a woman who had previously been into a fetish lifestyle and acclimated me into a Dom role over five years. Now that she has decided to go her own way, I'm mourning the loss of my role as a Dom, and I'm also interested in being a switch. [more inside]
posted by jwhite1979 at 10:25 AM PST - 4 comments

I have an appointment coming up for an oil change and some other car service that I’ve already deferred once (because I’m not driving much). The dealership is doing contact-free handoff, but some tech will end up sitting in my car. If I go, how should I make the interior as safe as possible afterwards? Should I defer again? [more inside]
posted by Alterscape at 9:13 AM PST - 15 comments

I would like to include a meeting reminder in a confirmation email and add a variety of reminder styles (a la GoToMeeting’s "Add to Calendar: Outlook® Calendar | Google Calendar™ | iCal®“ and would have sworn that I had run across a generator website like that a few years ago. Do you know of a site where I could generate links for one meeting in a variety of reminder styles?
posted by meindee at 8:20 AM PST - 1 comment

A bad update crashed our nonprofit WordPress website. We aren't able to rollback the update because we can't reach the person responsible for the hosting. To workaround the problem, we created a new stripped-down version of the website at another host. Now we'd like to get a copy of the old site so we can eventually migrate the old content to this new site. But the hosting company won't provide a copy of the old site without the old account credentials, and we can't reach the person who had/has them. [more inside]
posted by kgander at 7:58 AM PST - 9 comments

What patterns are there in family names that usually indicate national, cultural, ethnic, or linguistic origin, like how names ending in "-ian" or "-yan" are usually Armenian, names ending in "-oinen" or "-ainen" are usually Finnish or Estonian, and names ending in "-escu" are usually Romanian? [more inside]
posted by likedoomsday at 6:25 AM PST - 42 comments

I saw a Confederacy apologist unloading a new-to-me argument for the reason the southern states seceded from the union: that they paid disproportionately more in taxes than northern states, and received little in return. There are a number of websites advancing this argument, but my quick perusal suggests they're all run by Confederacy apologists. I'm wondering if there's anything to this argument, and if not, what sources debunk it.
posted by adamrice at 6:14 AM PST - 16 comments

Like many Americans, I am currently panicking about this country's (entirely predictable) inability to respond to coronavirus. Unlike many Americans, I'm a dual citizen with another country (Canada). I have some questions about moving back to Canada. You are not my immigration lawyer, but maybe you have some prior experience to share? [more inside]
posted by soren_lorensen at 6:02 AM PST - 15 comments

Looking for the experiments done where blood samples were taken from the body, put into isolated containers and a distance from the donor, where the blood samples reacted exactly like the blood circulating in the body, regardless of distance or location of the containers. Whatever the organism experienced, the blood in the containers responded as if they were still in the body. What experiment was this and who conducted it?
posted by watercarrier at 5:43 AM PST - 12 comments

I've read that as a maxim but is it true historically? What's the precedent on it? Is there one?
posted by rileyray3000 at 4:48 AM PST - 2 comments

I've come into possession of some lovely flowering plants (in pots) and I was looking for advice on how to keep them safe over the winter when it arrives. I understand they need to be brought indoors over the winter and I don't have a whole lot of appropriate space. Bonus: what outdoor potted plants can I get that don't need to be brought in over the winter? [more inside]
posted by unicorn chaser at 3:59 AM PST - 5 comments

I've moved back to Canada from the US, and as a result I'm just starting my two weeks of hard quarantine. I've been falling out of shape for the last two months as it is. Help me with some structured workouts I can do in my small empty apartment? [more inside]
posted by Paper rabies at 10:35 PM PST - 12 comments

Someone asked a butt-song question in 2014, so there have clearly been songs about butts since 1976, but that CANNOT have been the first time. Please provide evidence of the most ancient butt-related songs possible. Thank you all.
posted by emumimic at 9:00 PM PST - 15 comments

Should I check on my friend or just wait for him to get in touch with me? [more inside]
posted by earthquakeglue at 8:53 PM PST - 6 comments

When my car sits out in the summer heat for an extended period, the LCD display looks like this. I figure it's from the heat, but what exactly is going on in the screen?
posted by cozenedindigo at 7:47 PM PST - 2 comments

My city has had people setting off fireworks all night every night since Memorial Day. How can I help my dog? [more inside]
posted by Luminiferous Ether at 7:06 PM PST - 11 comments

I'm interesting in reading (or reading about) self-help/personal development/wellness/family relationship books or essays written from a non-North American, non-individualist perspective. [more inside]
posted by Rora at 6:22 PM PST - 2 comments

Control them from the buds and not from the phone. [more inside]
posted by fantasticness at 4:33 PM PST - 7 comments

Is Linux all one needs these days for video conferencing and online learning? [more inside]
posted by bertran at 4:31 PM PST - 17 comments

I am a man with a hairy face. This is mainly through laziness. What advice can you give me about howto make your hairy face look not terrible and how to make shaving not be an awful terrible chore. [more inside]
posted by Just this guy, y'know at 3:32 PM PST - 24 comments

My bf and I are discussing how to split the rent on an apartment. One of us will be using an office in the apartment. What makes sense? [more inside]
posted by andoatnp at 2:49 PM PST - 30 comments

My boss is a lovely and extremely busy person. She's an expert in her field, but doesn't learn new computer stuff comfortably, which has led her to rely on me to do a lot of little tech things for her. [more inside]
posted by jb at 2:44 PM PST - 16 comments

Besides Ziflow, what content review platform do you really like? [more inside]
posted by zooropa at 2:34 PM PST - 4 comments

Dissatisfied with what I’m currently doing, thinking about next steps. Should I go to grad school for library science, education, or something else? [more inside]
posted by hapticactionnetwork at 1:49 PM PST - 9 comments

A family member suggested a road trip over Labor Day weekend. I'm trying to determine feasibility and wondering if there are things I'm not thinking about. [more inside]
posted by kevinbelt at 1:22 PM PST - 13 comments

I own one home. I will be buying a new home. I'm fortunate to have cash on hand for a down payment. I can't decide whether I should buy first or sell first. [more inside]
posted by Bebo at 12:46 PM PST - 16 comments

I have a viking mixer, and I have a problem It is a Viking professional 7 qt, and while using it to mix some pretty stiff dough, the dough mixer attachment snapped off. not only did it snap, it snapped below where I could grab what was left of it and twist it out. I have tried taking it apart, to no avail. Does anyone have an idea, other than send it back to Viking?
posted by rudy26 at 12:36 PM PST - 17 comments

What makes a character be good or bad LGBT representation? I'm hoping for books (or youtube videos?) about the subject but personal opinions are welcome.
posted by simmering octagon at 12:02 PM PST - 13 comments

I've spent the last 3 weeks texting with someone a few states away who I met on a dating app. Recently we got together in a park to chat and drink wine. I don't feel romantically interested. How do I handle this? [more inside]
posted by critzer at 12:01 PM PST - 11 comments

My hair has officially reached the length/quantity/weight where it has started to get heavy and annoying in a ponytail/bun. This is a new experience for me and well past the point where I would normally cut it all off, but I’m thinking a braid may help better distribute the weight. What YouTube/Instagram tutorials have you found that helped you learn how to braid your own hair as an adult? I’ve surfed around a bit but have only found videos that start on expert mode.
posted by Maarika at 11:04 AM PST - 18 comments

I use Skype to make work calls because my mobile reception at home doesn't work well (and I need to record the calls, and Skype works well for that). Recently, several people have mentioned that my number shows up as "potential spam" in their caller ID. [more inside]
posted by pinochiette at 10:57 AM PST - 4 comments

Looking for kids cartoons where the problems are "real life" problems - without using magic or superhero powers. Bonus points if the characters voices are not high squeals or whines (Calliou is unbearable). Good problems are things like getting ready for school, being a good friend and sharing, why we brush our teeth, finding a lost toy, social problems, etc. Daniel Tiger meets these criteria (his squeaky voice is barely bearable). Sarah and Duck is a pretty good standard for what I am looking for. Peep's wide world and Puffin Rock are also good examples as well.
posted by Brent Parker at 10:27 AM PST - 25 comments

I'm looking for a very simple feature in an Android podcast app that I can't seem to find. I want it to allow me to sort episodes based on user feedback/most listened to/most shared. [more inside]
posted by nosila at 9:46 AM PST - 2 comments

We're getting some drywall repairs done, and I have an opportunity to install in wall speakers. Is it a good choice? [more inside]
posted by aeighty at 9:38 AM PST - 5 comments

I have a few asparagus plants outdoors (actual asparagus, not the fern) and since I didn't manage to harvest any of them this year, they're super tall and fluffy. The odd thing is that some of them are yellowing now, when normally it doesn't happen til fall. They also have a sticky white substance in clumps on the stems. I cut them back since it doesn't look great but should I treat them with anything? All my searching only yielded answers on treating houseplants.
posted by brilliantine at 7:24 AM PST - 2 comments

I recently realized I want brighter accesssories to draw attention away from my bathroom's ugliness. Specifically, I'm looking for really beautiful towels (bath or beach, but definitely large). Pop art designs, interesting weaves, whatever. I would prefer them to be ethically made. Thank you!
posted by chaiminda at 4:57 AM PST - 12 comments

The .imscc format is used by Blackboard, Schoology, and Canvas to import and export courses. Tragically, a course created in Canvas does not work in Blackboard or Schoology, and a course created in Blackboard does not work in Canvas... you get the idea. The information just doesn't seem to port over correctly. Does anyone have any experience, or better still, success with getting courses to work across these different platforms? How do you do it? I'd be happy to pay for someone to help me figure out the technical side, but I'm not even sure what I should be asking for.
posted by Alex Haist at 3:42 AM PST - 4 comments

I recall reading (probably in a book on facilitation or negotiation) about a Greek word for talking despite differences, basically dealing in good faith despite very serious differences. I would love to know what the word or term was. Also about any books dealing with the concept.
posted by unearthed at 2:04 AM PST - 4 comments

I have a place with lousy ADSL broadband provided by Ziply (used to be Frontier). It's slow (the best speed test I've had is 6Mbps), it drops out frequently requiring a modem restart. Nearby neighbors report the same issues. Would an upgraded ADSL modem help? [more inside]
posted by ShooBoo at 10:59 PM PST - 9 comments

Picking out the best comforter/duvet insert for the heat [more inside]
posted by CancerSucks at 9:42 PM PST - 11 comments

It's been a while since I've bought a cheap car. Someone I know needs one. [more inside]
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 9:19 PM PST - 23 comments

An older acquaintance of mine says she remembers Ronald Reagan saying he'd reduce welfare even if it would likely cost the state more*. It's a a great example of conservative deontology, but I can't find any evidence of Reagan saying anything like it. What is she remembering?
posted by derbyshire at 6:30 PM PST - 4 comments

While taking advantage of all the COVID down time during PRIDE, I have been reading and listening to books (also this), as well as an amazing podcast to understand more of the history and development of my community, While these are amazing for filling in the gaps, I would like to read some of the original gay publications/source documents, especially "The Native" which was very active in the initial AIDS crisis. Unfortunately my googling hasn't helped - are there any recommendations? Thanks
posted by aggienfo at 6:04 PM PST - 18 comments

We have a wonderful seven year old kitty that unfortunately was diagnosed with cancer this last February. She's made it a lot further than we expected but it seems her time is coming up in the next month or two. Do we get another kitten now, or wait? [more inside]
posted by roygbv at 6:00 PM PST - 17 comments

What are some fictional media (books, movies, etc.) about shame, and especially the experience of processing and moving through and past shame?
posted by ITheCosmos at 5:52 PM PST - 13 comments

I'm working with a 508(c) organization that offers room and board in exchange for work. How can we set up a contract for volunteering or work-trade to ensure that we are working within the law and not liable. Colorado [more inside]
posted by jander03 at 5:40 PM PST - 1 comment

This weekend I learned that I can't download stuff from Netflix, etc. for offline viewing and then watch by plugging a Chromebook into a flat screen via HDMI. Copyright prohibits it, for reasons. So I'm going to need a network in my camper. [more inside]
posted by COD at 5:10 PM PST - 12 comments

What's a fun, recent book that my book club can read, that's also been made into a movie? [more inside]
posted by silverstatue at 4:20 PM PST - 18 comments

You have used a coach to help manage your ADD/ADHD. How did it go? [more inside]
posted by bunderful at 3:02 PM PST - 10 comments

Before COVID I used to see Purell keychain hand sanitizer bottles everywhere - sturdy silicon bottle holders that could fit on a keychain and hold a small bottle of Purell. Now I can't find any, and I keep leaving the house without sanitizer. Something like this (which does not appear to let me order them). Doesn't matter if it's Purell brand, it just needs to hold (and come with) a small bottle that I can fill with sanitizer! Any leads?
posted by rogerroger at 2:26 PM PST - 10 comments

New lockdown hobby: whittling. I'm not worried about cutting myself (yay kevlar gloves) but I'm worried I am damaging my wrists. A few details below. [more inside]
posted by less of course at 2:20 PM PST - 16 comments

I'm trying to find a photo I've seen online several times, but Google has failed me. [more inside]
posted by essexjan at 2:19 PM PST - 7 comments

So, just over six years ago, y'all helped me buy my first car! It's served me well, but I'm looking to sell it in order to upgrade to something larger. I have advertised it on Craigslist and have some interest. Could you walk me through the process of selling it? [more inside]
posted by ClaireBear at 2:09 PM PST - 6 comments

Our tiny non-profit has used paper checks for membership dues and needs to update. With our small local group, after we handle transferring international fees and paying modest rent, we often have well under $100 in our checking account. What are inexpensive options for connecting people who want to pay with a credit card? The account is with a traditional US bank. I need an app or process that will transfer to the next treasurer and do not want to use my personal accounts. [more inside]
posted by childofTethys at 1:33 PM PST - 4 comments

Electricity went out in part of the house, not the whole house. Ok, so likely a blown fuse (yes, it's fuses, not circuit breakers). But why? There was no unusually strong electricity use. The AC is still running. The big things running were the TV and computer, which are both essentially always on. So the reason this makes me nervous is that a few years ago, the house two doors down burned down and our neighbours died. The verdict was that mice had chewed the wires in the kitchen and a fire had smoldered under the floor. Are we possibly hiding a smoldering fire?
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 1:14 PM PST - 25 comments

Does anyone know what kind of connector this is? I'm looking to get the mating piece. Scale is hard to tell but the physical connector is just under about a centimeter wide.
posted by GuyZero at 1:00 PM PST - 6 comments

My DR has me on 250MG of Sertraline/Zoloft. This is higher than the FDA recommendation. Is this safe? [more inside]
posted by kbbbo at 12:52 PM PST - 5 comments

I have a network camera that requires an iPhone app (called CloudEdge) and a web service to use. How can I tell whether there is alternate firmware -- like Open IP Camera -- for it? I would like to do RTSP streaming on my home network, and not require this app. [more inside]
posted by wenestvedt at 12:20 PM PST - 1 comment

I live alone in New Jersey. I have not gotten a hug or been touched in a friendly way since early March. This is negatively affecting my mental health. I made plans to semi-combine households with a friend who also lives alone and has also been isolated because she works in a healthcare field, based on certain conditions that have now changed (information on both inside). Help me think through how much more of a risk I would be taking based on these changes. [more inside]
posted by bridgebury at 12:20 PM PST - 14 comments

I'm writing the headline for a story about someone who has become a Fellow of an organization (named, say, ABC). [more inside]
posted by noelpratt2nd at 12:09 PM PST - 7 comments

How does the prescription process work for eyeglasses? [more inside]
posted by SageTrail at 11:50 AM PST - 15 comments

I'd love to buy more of ehe stickers in this picture. They are from a small page of stickers. I've tried searching for "heart stickers" and "puffy heart stickers" but no match, as I think these were purchased in-person in a store.
posted by Phredward at 11:12 AM PST - 3 comments

I started taking generic Zoloft a few months ago to try and get a grip on my depression and anxiety. Recently it’s seemed like musical ear worms, which I was prone to before, have gotten stronger. [more inside]
posted by PussKillian at 10:49 AM PST - 14 comments

I won money just before COVID hit, which has now been delayed indefinitely. I was kinda counting on it. I doubt it’s going to happen... but can I try to get at least some of it? [more inside]
posted by St. Hubbins at 10:46 AM PST - 6 comments

I need what will likely be a podcast or youtube channel, that fits my criteria and mood, AND has a long backlog that I can just absolutely drown myself in. Please help soothe me! My many snowflakes are inside. [more inside]
posted by wellifyouinsist at 10:23 AM PST - 23 comments

A fairly substantial part of my job (Environmental, Health and Safety Manager) is to train coworkers. I've never had any formal training on this, it's all been on-the-job learning, trial and error of what seems to get concepts to stick, and repeating techniques that have worked well for me. I'd like to take a class on how to teach adults, and basic educational theory. Googling around, I've found several options, but wanted to see if the hive mind had any specific recommendations on adult education or train-the-trainer type of classes. Online preferred, and probably the only real option at this point in time. Thanks!
posted by Sparky Buttons at 9:35 AM PST - 7 comments

My mother just retired, and I want to throw her a retirement party via Zoom with some of her close friends. How can I make it special? [more inside]
posted by rue72 at 9:28 AM PST - 8 comments

These are trying times, but also hopeful ones when you look at good people doing good things as a matter of principle. The BLM protests are particularly important. However, it may all be rather US-centric, or sort of generally newsworthy-centric. I just wanted to ask all you good folk for stories where things are happening in unexpected places, small places, but important ones. [more inside]
posted by Pyrogenesis at 8:49 AM PST - 7 comments

We're a family based in Brooklyn who is trying to find a way to buy bikes, whether online or in-person. Would love any advice! [more inside]
posted by johnasdf at 8:33 AM PST - 18 comments

I love ants! What is the best small, consumer-grade ant farm that balances ease of upkeep with ability to witness amazing ant feats? Have you owned an ant farm in the last 5 years? Tell me about it! [more inside]
posted by phunniemee at 7:17 AM PST - 7 comments

I just started working for a small (5 Person) electrical company that does mainly residential work. They currently use HOMEBASE for their time attendance system. It is not working for the owner. Help me be a ROCKSTAR and give him the best app possible. [more inside]
posted by Coffee Bean at 6:46 AM PST - 3 comments

I'm looking for objective, factual analyses of how human rights battles ultimately get won. In a perfect world, I'd like to read a meta-analysis (probably a book) that assesses a large number of human rights victories and tries to parcel out responsibility for how each one came to pass. Like, to what extent could success be attributed to spontaneous on-the-ground protest versus external/international shaming versus consumer-led boycotts versus sanctions versus leadership by a single charismatic individual versus dogged work and planning by people advocating on behalf of themselves. That kind of thing. [more inside]
posted by Susan PG at 6:44 AM PST - 11 comments

Since lockdown started my sleep schedule has been out of whack. In the last week this has become fully fledged insomnia/sleep deprivation. I can fall asleep just fine most of the time, but after (on average) 4 hours, I'm awake again. Insomniac mefites, give me your tips on coping until you find a cure! [more inside]
posted by fight or flight at 3:51 AM PST - 25 comments

I'm trying to identify a book I remember reading that had several memorable scenes. I would have read it sometime between 1994-1998. I think the name might have been Stitches, but searching for that on Goodreads is useless. [more inside]
posted by lostburner at 12:25 AM PST - 3 comments

When a cocktail recipe calls for cranberry juice do they really mean super tart actual cranberry juice or do them mean Ocean Spray style cranberry cocktail?
posted by Cosine at 9:54 PM PST - 9 comments

I need recommendations for an excellent veterinarian in/near Palo Alto, CA to provide treatment for a dog that was bitten by a snake while on vacation. The dog has been seen by an emergency veterinarian and is currently on her way home to Palo Alto. She is stable (doesn't seem like there are systemic issues currently) but she is very swollen and her wounds are large. I'm looking for both 24/7 veterinarians and regular veterinarians (as the dog will need ongoing care as her wounds progress).
posted by unhappyprofessor at 7:53 PM PST - 6 comments

I have a fairly large basement family room with a low ceiling that gets no natural light, which I hate. I need to figure out what kind of lighting would work best to not make me feel like it's a tomb during the day but not be overwhelming in the evening. Ideas? [more inside]
posted by mkuhnell at 7:43 PM PST - 15 comments

I'm sure this happens all the time, but I can't come up with a single incident off the top of my head: you hear some talk show host breathlessly interviewing someone you've never heard of about a topic in your field that's been old news for some time. [more inside]
posted by she's not there at 6:49 PM PST - 16 comments

Try to do media immersion or is it still too early for that? I’ve learned tons over the past two years and can generally read Spanish and put together basic phrases and sentences. Is it a good time to try immersion via films etc? Would that even help? Also if you have any tips to hit my education from another angle that would be awesome.
posted by Senor Cardgage at 5:59 PM PST - 18 comments

A college-age acquaintance has asked for help finding media that explains why social programs/social investment is economically beneficial. We have a chance to turn one to our side here, please help! [more inside]
posted by rodneyaug at 5:52 PM PST - 8 comments

We're bringing my mom back up to stay in NYC with us, since she's super high risk and it seems safer to have her up with us than alone there. Everyone is on board with this decision and happy about it (road trip worries notwithstanding). We drove down and are here helping her get her things in order to make the trip. But we don't know what to do about her dog. [more inside]
posted by my left sock at 5:49 PM PST - 16 comments

It's mid-late 90s. Hard alternative/early emo perhaps. The song started with a simple repetitive guitar change. Vocals came in slowly. It had a big loud explosive chorus with distorted guitars and the singer had a fair amount of grit in his voice. I believe either the band or the song had the word "red" in the title. It had a music video. I believe the song was about kids running away from abusive households. [more inside]
posted by tylerfulltilt at 5:24 PM PST - 23 comments

I woke up to a damaged car on Sunday morning, it had been hit by another vehicle while parked in front of my place. I have some dents and a missing side mirror now, but other than that it's ok. Everyone seems angrier about this damage to my car than I actually am? Should I be angrier? Is something wrong with me? [more inside]
posted by VirginiaPlain at 5:11 PM PST - 35 comments

Why is a goldfinch attacking my house? [more inside]
posted by Thorzdad at 5:07 PM PST - 5 comments

My kid wants a photo editing app to replace their beloved, but no longer supported, app, Enlight (the earlier version). They want particular a particular feature but the only application they've seen that has it, Affinity Photo, costs $50. This could be on either a Mac or an iPhone. [more inside]
posted by The corpse in the library at 3:08 PM PST - 5 comments

We have a 12-year-old who, like many others, is stuck at home with nothing to do for the summer. He does luckily have access to a young adult who could help with any projects that need supervision and could otherwise act akin to a summer camp counselor. He's interested in "making things from scratch", like making soap using lye. What are some projects he could do? [more inside]
posted by watermelon at 2:55 PM PST - 27 comments

It seems like the concept of "Generation" (Boomers, Gen-X, Millennials, etc.) has gained increasing prominence in the past decade or two, but how did that concept gain steam culturally, and when? [more inside]
posted by juniperesque at 2:47 PM PST - 12 comments

A request from a friend: ==== A short story I read as a child has been on my mind. It comes and goes, so I may have already asked you about it. But tell me if it rings a bell: In the story I’m thinking of, there’s a female protagonist. She discovers a super-power in herself when she’s young—She has the power of telekinesis. She can lift paperclips and other objects of small mass. She gleefully imagines the great power she will wield as her abilities mature, and what an important person she will be on the world stage. But, to her bitter disappointment, she has never developed the ability to do more than lift a paperclip. She’s an adult now, working in some mundane job. She’s a nobody. That’s her situation at the start of the story. Over the course of the story, whose events I do not remember at all, except that they had something to do with world politics, she gets over her youthful grandiosity, and her bitter disappointment, and comes to the realization that her power comes from how she applies her ability, not how big a thing she can move with her mind. Within the limits of her ability, if she does the hard work of learning the necessary content, she can—and this is the climactic scene—use her mind to go into the heart of some important world figure and, with the precision of a surgeon, move something the size of a paperclip, and make his heart stop beating. [more inside]
posted by namesarehard at 2:38 PM PST - 6 comments

As a kid I was diagnosed with OCD and Asperger's (no longer a valid diagnosis; now folded into Autism Spectrum Disorder). Last year I was evaluated against my will for a personality disorder, under false pretenses and in my second language after which I was given a diagnosis of "mixed personality disorder with borderline and closet narcissistic features". Quarantine terminally interrupted both my work and the public service therapy I was being given. During the hiatus, I was dropped by the public service because they were uninterested in treating me in my first language. What do I do? [more inside]
posted by constantinescharity at 2:06 PM PST - 11 comments

I'm some flavor of non-neurotypical and struggle with social awareness, as I've covered in several of my past questions here. I have mastered the social skills needed to get to a middle management job but I get the sense there are some next-level skills I need if I want to keep advancing to leadership. What are they, and how does someone develop them? [more inside]
posted by robot cat at 12:40 PM PST - 11 comments

I want to attach ceramic or porcelain or china cups to the side of a cheap bookcase to use as tiny planters for a little succulents. You don’t have to agree that it’s a good idea. It may be a terrible idea. But I think it would be fun and I want some ideas about how to make it a reality. [more inside]
posted by Bella Donna at 12:38 PM PST - 25 comments

I am considering buying a house for the purposes of renting it (not AirBnB). I am not a first-time home buyer, but I don't currently own a house. I plan to speak to a mortgage broker, a CPA, and a real estate agent soon - what should I be asking? [more inside]
posted by tryniti at 12:38 PM PST - 16 comments

Inspired by this comment, I’m struck with a latent desire for a car with more storage capacity. To enable me to live vicariously through your automobile, I’d love to hear how you make the most of your larger vehicle. Give me all the anecdotes of activities that are simply easier, better or straight up possible because of a larger car. [more inside]
posted by Goblin Barbarian at 12:34 PM PST - 16 comments

My wife's car scrapes the bottom coming in our driveway. It doesn't have the usual gutter-dip or concavity of a rolled curb, but appears to be a straight (slanted, steep) run of concrete up to the sidewalk, a level sidewalk, and then a more gentle slope up from the sidewalk. What (if any) product can simply make the slope of the first section gentler? [more inside]
posted by jackbishop at 12:24 PM PST - 11 comments

I just followed a scammy/potentially malicious link via SMS, on my iPhone (11 Pro, running up-to-date 13.5.1). Should I assume that my iOS was just compromised? If so, what should I do about it? [more inside]
posted by Alterscape at 12:21 PM PST - 5 comments

I've started a non profit with the mission of reducing vehicle profiling by the police by replacing burnt out bulbs on cars. I posted it on Metafilter projects. It was the simplest thing I could think of to help eliminate deaths related to those kinds of stops, like those of Philandro Castile or Walter Scott or Sandra Bland. [more inside]
posted by CollectiveMind at 11:56 AM PST - 6 comments

Around 8-9 years ago, we froze our credit records with all 3 bureaus, due to identity theft worries. Right now I need to unfreeze one bureau but it's not accepting any of the PIN numbers I have stored and says I need to snail mail my request. Is there some sort of central, updated resource that has info on how to deal with all 3 bureaus, including online access, reset PIN, etc.? [more inside]
posted by rogerroger at 11:48 AM PST - 4 comments

I recently bought this outfit from Target. I love the ease of the top (how it actually has sleeves is a plus, hate sleeveless women's everything in the summer), the elastic waist, etc. But what I really like is the bohemian style of this. Target isn't going to call this outfit what it is - but is there something I can search for/stores you know of that sell these types of clothes for women?
posted by tiny frying pan at 11:16 AM PST - 10 comments

While doing boring indoor exercise, I watch music videos. These must be fun and distracting while also musically appealing. I'm all out of new ones. [more inside]
posted by Frowner at 10:33 AM PST - 28 comments

Starting tonight and for a week or so after, I will have in my house an Xbox One, two Xbox One controllers, and two children we are desperately hoping to entertain for a couple (maybe 2) hours a day, with minimal adult involvement. They'll be outdoors most of the time, so this is mainly for when they come in to cool off or maybe a little bit before or after dinner. [more inside]
posted by invincible summer at 10:29 AM PST - 8 comments

I'm a hundred or so pages into Dr. Burns' book. It is not only practical it is a fun read (in the genre of depression). The forms he suggests to record and analyze cognitions are potentially quite useful but not available, at least to my ability. . [more inside]
posted by KneeDeep at 10:20 AM PST - 8 comments

How can I most efficiently switch between multiple video and audio inputs during a Zoom call? [more inside]
posted by matt_od at 10:09 AM PST - 6 comments

Please give me your recommendations for fitness challenges that would be appropriate for a teenage boy. [more inside]
posted by bove at 9:48 AM PST - 14 comments

What are the best windshield wipers I can get for visibility in a rainstorm? [more inside]
posted by nantucket at 8:41 AM PST - 22 comments

What is some good software for physics simulations? I would like to sketch out a structure or system and simulate how it reacts to various forces. For example, a simple trampoline of a rigid surface attached to springs at the four corners, with a 100kg weight dropped from 1 meter. I have software that does something like this for rope and pulley systems, but not for systems containing levers and springs. Windows, MacOS, iPad, whatever.
posted by Nothing at 7:53 AM PST - 9 comments

Does anyone here read Russian and can help me translate the text in this image? I think it's a tarot card, but I'm not sure.
posted by stinkfoot at 7:51 AM PST - 4 comments

I'm looking for advice on choosing the right OB for me. [more inside]
posted by shb at 7:36 AM PST - 19 comments

I recently bought a 32-inch 4K monitor (model ViewSonic VX3276-4K-MHD). I tried playing a bunch of 4K test videos that I found here, and they all play with noticeable choppiness. I tried Google Chrome, Edge, and Firefox. The same thing happens when I play a 4K video file using VLC Player. How should I fix this? [more inside]
posted by akk2014 at 7:14 AM PST - 22 comments

They say wisdom is "accepting the obvious" and I am finally accepting what I feel is quite an embarrassing situation, which is that I'm early 50s and with a couple of exceptions don't really have a clue about friendship or interacting with others. Pre-lockdown I used to go out mainly to cafes or cinema by myself (mental illness means I haven't worked in a long time). Recently a social worker assessed me as needing a couple of hours a week to supervise/ encourage while I tidied, and she has also advocated for me to get another two hours with a support worker to get "out and about" as my hermit lifestyle is clearly not helping my mental health any. However I don't have a clue what to do with this time allocated and it's making me anxious ... [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 7:11 AM PST - 15 comments

I installed a new roof on my shed. 3-tab shingles. I'm concerned about the amount of overhang. [more inside]
posted by mr_bovis at 6:53 AM PST - 2 comments

1) How does Septa know that tickets expire? 2) If these tickets are usable, what forum or organization would take them? I'll mail. [more inside]
posted by sandmanwv at 6:38 AM PST - 5 comments

Speech therapists, linguists, child development experts, and parents of MeFi, I could use your help. My toddler is quite speech delayed, and because of Covid-19, I'm stuck doing DIY speech therapy. Since I've started working with him, he's started making some new sounds, but it's not at all in the order I expected, so I'd like some advice on what to focus on next. [more inside]
posted by colfax at 5:55 AM PST - 7 comments

I'm having a hard time making a decision (snowflakes within). I don't exactly need help with the decision itself, but I need help with the idea of accepting change -- and the unknowns and missed potential that come with change. I'm anxious of the idea that I might regret this. How do I accept or embrace the idea of change, when I can foresee missing things? [more inside]
posted by watrlily at 4:30 AM PST - 10 comments

What are reliable, easy-to-install options available to auto-close a garage door after a set amount of time? [more inside]
posted by charmedimsure at 1:35 AM PST - 11 comments

I've been stuck inside nearly everyday since Xmas (except for Dr's visits). I've bought up all my favourite authors on Kindle. I want some fictional book recommendations with certain characteristics... [more inside]
posted by b33j at 11:48 PM PST - 19 comments

I'm moving to another city on Aug 1. I have about had it up to here with my roommate. I've been able to pay July rent with my security deposit. Does just straight up leaving now make sense or is this stupid and it'll blow over? [more inside]
posted by signondiego at 9:25 PM PST - 20 comments

There's some sausage I like that's only available for a limited time. The package says to eat within thirty days of freezing. If I pull it out of the freezer in six months, will I be OK? [more inside]
posted by kevinbelt at 6:26 PM PST - 5 comments

I want to buy a new car, and want to try driving it for a few days before I take the plunge. How exactly do I go about this? I have neck/back issues that make some cars very uncomfortable to drive, and I can't tell if a car will work for me during the 20 minutes you normally get for a test drive. [more inside]
posted by radioamy at 5:30 PM PST - 13 comments

For joke purposes, I am seeking a teacup and saucer that appear to be very fancy, delicate, and breakable, but actually aren't. Think Wedgwood but in melamine. I'd prefer to buy a single vs. a whole set.
posted by blnkfrnk at 5:29 PM PST - 2 comments

This is obviously none of my business, but I've always been curious and he's dead, so: how did Harlan Ellison make a living? He wrote a bunch of short fiction over the years, sure, and intermittently wrote for TV (mostly in the '60s and '70s), but it doesn't seem like it'd be enough to get by. Was one season of "The Starlost" plus the settlement from The Terminator plus short fiction royalties really enough to live on for the rest of his life? (I always wondered if he'd inherited money...)
posted by The Tensor at 4:27 PM PST - 22 comments

I had conversation yesterday with a long time friend of mine who is in a highly visible position of public trust. During this discussion about Black Lives Matter, I discovered that they are probably a racist. Now what? [more inside]
posted by Xurando at 2:54 PM PST - 6 comments

What are nicknames that latinos use based on their heritage/mother country such as Puerto Rico: boricuas, Honduran: catrachos, Costa Rican: ticos..etc [more inside]
posted by xicana63 at 2:46 PM PST - 11 comments

My husband has started reading books by John Grisham and loves them. Not my cup of tea at all, so I don't know where to start, but for his birthday, I would like to give him books that scratch a similar itch but by different authors. Specifics below. [more inside]
posted by Omnomnom at 1:04 PM PST - 34 comments

In the early 1980s MTV had a weekly(?) contest/program featuring videos submitted by unsigned bands. What was the name of the contest/program and is there any record of the bands and videos that participated? I seem to remember that Mark Goodman was the host.
posted by Mrs. Buck Turgidson at 12:36 PM PST - 2 comments

I'd like to replace my car, but I'm not really sure what makes/models I should be looking at? I'm pretty car ignorant, so I don't even know where to begin when selecting a new (to me) car. Details inside. [more inside]
posted by VirginiaPlain at 12:03 PM PST - 15 comments

My 4yo has severe abdominal pain - she is currently en route to the hospital with my wife. Can anyone walk me through what will happen, more or less, once she arrives? [more inside]
posted by insectosaurus at 11:16 AM PST - 8 comments

In the apartment I rent, I can clearly hear the neighbors directly below when they speak or watch TV. The building is an old house that has been split into two units (main level and basement) which share central heat. The sound coming out of the floor vent is loud enough for me to make out every word. What non-destructive, non-expensive options do I have for reducing that sound in my home? [more inside]
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 11:10 AM PST - 2 comments

I find that having mental frameworks when writing non-fiction content makes the job of writing so much easier. For the most part, I use the time-honored “who, what, where, when, whey and how”. It has always helped disintegrate writer's block. [more inside]
posted by jacobean at 11:07 AM PST - 5 comments

Is there any kind of project or such that I can do with my three year old that he would enjoy AND that *I* would also find satisfying socially/emotionally/intellectually. Yes, I realize this is a crazy question. But maybe someone has a crazy answer. We cannot leave the house. We can order supplies online. I'm thinking more "hobby" or "medium-term project" than "this thing we can do one afternoon", but I'm pretty desperate, so if you can satisfy us both for an afternoon, I guess that's better than nothing. [more inside]
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 10:53 AM PST - 27 comments

I'm looking for research / proof quantifying how much women and men talk in group settings. [more inside]
posted by nouvelle-personne at 10:00 AM PST - 5 comments

I bought an electric guitar and an amp. I’d like to take time out of every day to learn to play. I am an absolute beginner right now. Can you recommend apps, websites, YouTube channels to get me on my way? I don’t think I need the gamification of DuoLingo but it would be pretty amazing if there was something like it for learning to play guitar.
posted by Dragonness at 9:59 AM PST - 15 comments

This handy stats site shows that 11% of COVID cases with an outcome end in death. However, at the same time, only 8% of COVID cases are "serious." Other sources give the morbidity rate at 1%-3%, however. That could square with the 11% number if there were more new cases without outcomes than old cases with outcomes. But there aren't, in Canada anyway. Can anyone make sense of these numbers? [more inside]
posted by musofire at 9:59 AM PST - 7 comments

Due to chronic illnesses, and new GAD which has caused a lot of weight loss and fatigue, I can't do much exercise. I can still walk ok, but it is tough to motivate due to the heat here in the south. I have a big yard space any dog could run around in (but it is still hot 'cause no shade). No current pets. I know adopting pets is good for them, but is it a bad idea for me? Never owned a dog. More on the inside. [more inside]
posted by bitterkitten at 9:55 AM PST - 15 comments

I am itching to read some YA mystery! I prefer solo teen detective sort of stories, but I also enjoy groups of kids solving a mystery. Supernatural elements are OK, but I avoid horror and gore. Must be well written. I'm so tired of being disappointed by stinkers with great plot synopses. Bonus points for: boarding schools, corrupt rich families, witches, New England, and outsiders trying to fit in. Examples of what I've liked and disliked inside! [more inside]
posted by Stoof at 9:50 AM PST - 19 comments

I'm pretty nearsighted, with some astigmatism. I looked up at the buck moon, which looked normal and beautiful. For some reason I took my glasses off and looked again...now the moon looked like a bright many-petaled flower. [more inside]
posted by serena15221 at 9:25 AM PST - 4 comments

I’ve worn my favorite tee out. It’s the Dean Russo Obama tee that I originally got from The Mountain. I find the art work in canvas but not anywhere as a shirt. Please help me find this.
posted by tzuzie at 8:03 AM PST - 1 comment

I’ve been interested and disturbed watching QAnon continue to snowball online, including increasingly prominent people like candidates for Congress going public as QAnon believers. I have some questions (below the cut) about how cults/beliefs like this end. [more inside]
posted by sallybrown at 7:41 AM PST - 9 comments

I'm doing a research on an antiques project and when I came to "estate sales" all that turned up was real estate stuff. So I tried other things but it seems like there's vintage markets and car boot sales but I can't seem to find the equivalent of "invite everyone into a home and they buy stuff." Does it exist in the UK?
posted by rileyray3000 at 3:33 AM PST - 15 comments

I remember the last week in mid-February when I could still buy household disinfecting wipes and hand sanitizer, before they became nigh impossible to acquire due to the impending pandemic. Hand sanitizer is now much easier to get (at least in my area). Nearly everything else that was in short supply--paper towels & toilet paper, hydrogen peroxide, pure bleach, even masks--has started returning to store shelves and online retailers' websites. Why not Clorox/Lysol wipes? [more inside]
posted by rhiannonstone at 12:22 AM PST - 26 comments

Help me style myself / my wardrobe along these lines: selkie, sea witch, tidepool faerie. [more inside]
posted by cnidaria at 11:32 PM PST - 17 comments

I've gotten better about making responsible decisions when it comes to buying things, but making the 'right' choice leaves me feeling miserable. How can I reframe things so I feel good about ... well, being good? [more inside]
posted by goreycat at 11:03 PM PST - 16 comments

I could use some assistance trying to figure out something fun to do in my spare time that fits my many snowflake criteria below. [more inside]
posted by forza at 10:10 PM PST - 45 comments